MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems unveils plans for the world’s first fusion power plant

[zincwarrior]

Yes, give us that sweet sweet Fusion Go Juice! If successful I would think this has major political implications but in SCIENCE! anyway.


[h1]MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems unveils plans for the world's first fusion power plant[/h1]
The company has announced that it will build the first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Zach Winn | MIT News
Publication Date:
December 17, 2024
Press Inquiries

Credits:
Credit: Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Previous image Next image
America is one step closer to tapping into a new and potentially limitless clean energy source today, with the announcement from MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) that it plans to build the world's first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

The announcement is the latest milestone for the company, which has made groundbreaking progress toward harnessing fusion — the reaction that powers the sun — since its founders first conceived of their approach in an MIT classroom in 2012. CFS is now commercializing a suite of advanced technologies developed in MIT research labs.
"This moment exemplifies the power of MIT's mission, which is to create knowledge that serves the nation and the world, whether via the classroom, the lab, or out in communities," MIT Vice President for Research Ian Waitz says. "From student coursework 12 years ago to today's announcement of the siting in Virginia of the world's first fusion power plant, progress has been amazingly rapid. At the same time, we owe this progress to over 65 years of sustained investment by the U.S. federal government in basic science and energy research."
The new fusion power plant, named ARC, is expected to come online in the early 2030s and generate about 400 megawatts of clean, carbon-free electricity — enough energy to power large industrial sites or about 150,000 homes.

The plant will be built at the James River Industrial Park outside of Richmond through a nonfinancial collaboration with Dominion Energy Virginia, which will provide development and technical expertise along with leasing rights for the site. CFS will independently finance, build, own, and operate the power plant.

https://news.mit.edu/2024/commonwealth-fusion-systems-unveils-worlds-first-fusion-power-plant-1217

 

[ataraxia]

Wow. This really could be a game changer.

I thought we were still years away from any commercial uses of this technology.

 

[Noodlegawd]

Yes, give us that sweet sweet Fusion Go Juice! If successful I would think this has major political implications but in SCIENCE! anyway.


[h1]MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems unveils plans for the world's first fusion power plant[/h1]
The company has announced that it will build the first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Zach Winn | MIT News
Publication Date:
December 17, 2024
Press Inquiries

Credits:
Credit: Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Previous image Next image
America is one step closer to tapping into a new and potentially limitless clean energy source today, with the announcement from MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) that it plans to build the world's first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

The announcement is the latest milestone for the company, which has made groundbreaking progress toward harnessing fusion — the reaction that powers the sun — since its founders first conceived of their approach in an MIT classroom in 2012. CFS is now commercializing a suite of advanced technologies developed in MIT research labs.
"This moment exemplifies the power of MIT's mission, which is to create knowledge that serves the nation and the world, whether via the classroom, the lab, or out in communities," MIT Vice President for Research Ian Waitz says. "From student coursework 12 years ago to today's announcement of the siting in Virginia of the world's first fusion power plant, progress has been amazingly rapid. At the same time, we owe this progress to over 65 years of sustained investment by the U.S. federal government in basic science and energy research."
The new fusion power plant, named ARC, is expected to come online in the early 2030s and generate about 400 megawatts of clean, carbon-free electricity — enough energy to power large industrial sites or about 150,000 homes.

The plant will be built at the James River Industrial Park outside of Richmond through a nonfinancial collaboration with Dominion Energy Virginia, which will provide development and technical expertise along with leasing rights for the site. CFS will independently finance, build, own, and operate the power plant.

https://news.mit.edu/2024/commonwealth-fusion-systems-unveils-worlds-first-fusion-power-plant-1217

Sounds great, but I wonder how they're going to do this, given the fact that no one has managed to run a sustained fusion reaction with a positive net energy output.

 

[zincwarrior]

Its a fair question.

 

[dmpi]

Anything on a 10 year timeline is nothing more than vapor ware.

 

[Slavister]

Sounds great, but I wonder how they're going to do this, given the fact that no one has managed to run a sustained fusion reaction with a positive net energy output.

Its a fair question.

From the OP article: "CFS is currently completing development of its fusion demonstration machine, SPARC, at its headquarters in Devens, Massachusetts. SPARC is expected to produce its first plasma in 2026 and net fusion energy shortly after, demonstrating for the first time a commercially relevant design that will produce more power than it consumes. SPARC will pave the way for ARC, which is expected to deliver power to the grid in the early 2030s."

 

[Helix]

Maybe teabillies can convert it to burn coal once they take over everything.

 

[Gordy327]

First, fusion power. Then, impulse drives on starships.

 

[ataraxia]

Sounds great, but I wonder how they're going to do this, given the fact that no one has managed to run a sustained fusion reaction with a positive net energy output.

They actually hit that milestone back in 2022:

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/13/nuclear-fusion-passes-major-milestone-net-energy.html

DOE National Laboratory Makes History by Achieving Fusion Ignition

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)—a major scientific breakthrough decades in the making.

www.energy.gov

I am just amazed how fast they went from that to a commercial implementation in such a short time.

Now I am just waiting for ramjet/scramjet technology to fly me from California to Australia in 2 hours. When is that going to be commercially available? Now THAT would also be a serious game changer.

 

[Napoleon]

So they’re marketing an untested and unproven idea.

 

[Deuce]

So they’re marketing an untested and unproven idea.

So were the Wright Brothers.

 

[Noodlegawd]

They actually hit that milestone back in 2022:

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/13/nuclear-fusion-passes-major-milestone-net-energy.html

DOE National Laboratory Makes History by Achieving Fusion Ignition

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)—a major scientific breakthrough decades in the making.

www.energy.gov

I am just amazed how fast they went from that to a commercial implementation in such a short time.

Now I am just waiting for ramjet/scramjet technology to fly me from California to Australia in 2 hours. When is that going to be commercially available? Now THAT would also be a serious game changer.

That's not really true. There was net energy generated within the reaction (i.e., more energy was generated than was delivered by the lasers), but the operation as a whole consumed 100 time as much energy as was generated. And it wasn't a sustained reaction. Unfortunately, the press releases glossed over, or totally ignored, this "minor" detail.

Nuclear fusion: the true, the false and the uncertain

Nuclear fusion: the true, the false and the uncertain – Read the column on Polytechnique Insights

www.polytechnique-insights.com

 

[Noodlegawd]

From the OP article: "CFS is currently completing development of its fusion demonstration machine, SPARC, at its headquarters in Devens, Massachusetts. SPARC is expected to produce its first plasma in 2026 and net fusion energy shortly after, demonstrating for the first time a commercially relevant design that will produce more power than it consumes. SPARC will pave the way for ARC, which is expected to deliver power to the grid in the early 2030s."

That's what they hope, not how they're going to do it, or whether they're going to succeed.

 

[ataraxia]

That's not really true. There was net energy generated within the reaction (i.e., more energy was generated than was delivered by the lasers), but the operation as a whole consumed 100 time as much energy as was generated. And it wasn't a sustained reaction. Unfortunately, the press releases glossed over, or totally ignored, this "minor" detail.

Nuclear fusion: the true, the false and the uncertain

Nuclear fusion: the true, the false and the uncertain – Read the column on Polytechnique Insights

www.polytechnique-insights.com

Whatever it was, I would think the investors who put down the capital for this new commercial venture based have looked at the energy in/energy out numbers and thought it was worth the financial risk. I am sure this thing costs a pretty penny.

 

[Slavister]

That's what they hope, not how they're going to do it, or whether they're going to succeed.

All startups are based on hope of future success. As to "how" they are going to do it, well... I am guessing whatever is not proprietary had been released in relevant literature already.

 

[Napoleon]

All startups are based on hope of future success. As to "how" they are going to do it, well... I am guessing whatever is not proprietary had been released in relevant literature already.

They created a new magnet for a fusion reactor that doesn’t exist. The world record for fusion is 59 megajoules over a period of 5 seconds before the reactor crapped out. But they’re taking people’s money with the promise that they’re going to solve fusion “shortly after” 2026. PT Barnum was right.

 

[Slavister]

They created a new magnet for a fusion reactor that doesn’t exist. The world record for fusion is 59 megajoules over a period of 5 seconds before the reactor crapped out. But they’re taking people’s money with the promise that they’re going to solve fusion “shortly after” 2026. PT Barnum was right.

Well, if new magnet solves the reason that others are crapping out... that might be all they need. I am guessing people that give them money know a lot more about this than you.

 

[Napoleon]

Well, if new magnet solves the reason that others are crapping out... that might be all they need.

The magnet is just for containment. The problem is that no one has been able to sustain the reaction for longer than 5 seconds.

 

[Slavister]

The magnet is just for containment. The problem is that no one has been able to sustain the reaction for longer than 5 seconds.

Well, again, whoever gave them $2B is hopefully aware of the risks and benefits of their investment.

 

[Peter]

Anything on a 10 year timeline is nothing more than vapor ware.

Plenty of things have a 10 year timeline.

HS2 in the UK is an example as was Crossrail in London.