this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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While this is amazing and all, it's always seemed to me that this approach of using hundreds of laser beams focused on a single point would never scale to be viable for power generation. Can any experts here confirm?
I've always assumed this approach was just useful as a research platform -- to learn things applicable to other approaches, such as tokamaks, or to weapons applications.
I mean I assume you have to start somewhere to be able to improve, right? Like breakthroughs with TVs, no one would realistically use a vacuum tube when you can make an OLED display. But if we didn’t start with the vacuum tube we wouldn’t know what to improve on.
Once we know that we can do it, we can start working on how to do it easier.
IMO the current best bet on who builds an actual fusion plant first is Proxima Fusion, a spin-out of the Max Planck institute. They're planning on building a large Stellerator by 2030 based on their experiences with Wendelstein-7X, which exceeded all expectations (as in: It behaved exactly as predicted), proving that the concept scales without issue. Still some kinks to figure out but those are about economical efficiency, not achieving power output.
The NIF generally does research on nukes. I have a hard time believing them talking about civil applications is anything but marketing.
The first step is always the hardest. You have to start somewhere. You don't start by having something fully scalable right away, you have to work towards it.
Yeah pretty much my understanding as well, I don't think anyone has a notion of what it would take to generate power from inertial fusion and whatever if it would be practical.
Same, I never understood the scope of this lasers-on-a-pill approach, other than being a starter. I like the Polywell concept more.