For a field that has existed for more than 60 years, a lot has happened in fusion research in the last half-decade. In fusion’s case, a trio of technological advances converged in the early 2010s to unleash a wave of innovation. “I think you see this beautiful inflection point in this field where the science maturity and technical capability come together,” said Michl Binderbauer, CEO of TAE Technologies.
Some companies are exploring different fuels as well as different designs. California-based TAE Technologies, which has been in business since 1998, is building a nuclear reactor that’s designed to fuse hydrogen with boron-11 by colliding plasma “smoke rings” inside a long, cigar-shaped chamber. This setup would need to hit temperatures even higher than those in tokamaks. But if scaled-up versions work, they could generate electricity without the neutron fusillade.
Our current domestic electrical grids are woefully inept to integrate necessary renewable energy sources. The answer to solving this problem lies within a new approach to energy use: one that focuses on optimizing the way customers and their technologies interact with the grid.