Fusor Forums

Like there is a difference.

So maybe some of you have picked up on the recent kerfuffle re: the UK's Boris Johnson promising to deliver electricity from fusion... one of these days.

Here's a bit of recent coverage, which reflects the typically vague nature of the promise and the attempts to encapsulate the current state of the art:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50267017

Money quote: "The UK government has recently announced an investment of £200m to deliver electricity from a fusion reactor by 2040."

Hey, whaddya know, that's 20 years in the future! They must be reading a chapter from Richard's book!

But my favorite part is this "artist's conception" of what a fusion reaction might look like: I find it amusing because WE don't need an "artist's conception." We know exactly what a fusion reaction looks like:
Photo credit: Brian McDermott

Go figger.

--PS

Was part of that 200 million lubs spent on that artist rendering of fusion!......And it all begins anew.........

Hire an artist and ad men to boost the project....money out the door
Hire a suitable bureaucracy to get the ball rolling....money out the door
Hire some big names in fusion research to give the effort genuine gravitas.....money out the door
Find and build or lease a giant building capable of supporting the planned system to further improve the sense of gravitas...........well, I could go on and on, but you have the idea.

There is always a big enough rat hole and enough hangers-on pockets in which to stuff a lot of cash to be found on any of these wonderful fusion adventures into wonderland.

Richard Hull