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[–]casparvoneverecBig tiddy respecter 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Links?

They could produce energy before at CERN as well. The issue was sustaining it to make it EROI efficient.

[–]Blackbrownfreestuff 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

ITER is designed to produce a ten times return on invested energy: 500 MW of fusion power from 50 MW of input heating power (Q=10). It will be the first of all fusion experiments in history to produce net energy.

https://www.iter.org/sci/Goals

[–]casparvoneverecBig tiddy respecter 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

It aims to do that. It hasn't done so already. Let's see if it can actually do it. Plus, they say the fusion would take place for a period of 400s to 600s. If that is the case they'd need multiple reactors perhaps dozens depending on the restart time to supply continuous energy.

[–]Blackbrownfreestuff 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This is a big step in the right direction. We are not all the way there yet, obviously. But there is a realistic plan for a fusion reactor that produces enegry and is under construction. That's huge. My grandkids might get to witness the first sun reactor in their lifetimes.