Fusion: A Political Opportunity Missed, But Not A Technological One

In 2008, Porkopolis encouraged the McCain campaign (both in writing and through the Ohio GOP) to politically and scientifically retort then candidate's Obama foolhardiness over reliance on Sun-based solar energy.  While Sun-based solar energy can supplement the world's energy needs, there are limitations to efficiently harnessing sunlight; primarily due to its Earth-side consistency and energy density.

Fusion is the only proven 'solar energy' (proven, because the Sun figured out how to do it) with the promise of providing clean, energy-dense power generation and there's true reasoned hope (not Obama 'hope') for its eventual reality:

The Independent: One giant leap for mankind: £13bn Iter project makes breakthrough in the quest for nuclear fusion, a solution to climate change and an age of clean, cheap energy: It may be the most ambitious scientific venture ever: a global collaboration to create an unlimited supply of clean, cheap energy. And this week it took a crucial step forward. Steve Connor reports

Saturday, 27 April 2013 An idyllic hilltop setting in the Cadarache forest of Provence in the south of France has become the site of an ambitious attempt to harness the nuclear power of the sun and stars.

It is the place where 34 nations representing more than half the world’s population have joined forces in the biggest scientific collaboration on the planet – only the International Space Station is bigger.

The international nuclear fusion project – known as Iter, meaning “the way” in Latin – is designed to demonstrate a new kind of nuclear reactor capable of producing unlimited supplies of cheap, clean, safe and sustainable electricity from atomic fusion.

If Iter demonstrates that it is possible to build commercially-viable fusion reactors then it could become the experiment that saved the world in a century threatened by climate change and an expected three-fold increase in global energy demand.

This week the project gained final approval for the design of the most technically challenging component – the fusion reactor’s “blanket” that will handle the super-heated nuclear fuel...

Related:

• Is McCain Looking Into Fusion?
• What McCain Should Have Said In His Speeches on Energy and Environment
• Jeff Immelt (GE CEO) and Tom Friedman Help Governors Formulate Energy Policies
• NewScientistTech: Rapid-fire 'spark plug' may bring fusion power closer
• Major Development in Fusion Energy
• New nanotechnology development could result in new energy source
• Laser Fusion Project Takes One Small Step Toward Energy Leap