When Will We Have Fusion Energy?

If you’ve ever wanted an overview of what the fusion industry currently is dealing with, beyond the complex technological aspects, my guest and I clearly lay out a number of the challenges and opportunities, as well as giving a much more positive outlook than what the intro clip alludes to.

About The Episode

So this week’s intro was a clip pulled from the sci-fi show The man who fell to earth, where one of the characters is listing off some of the more negative repercussions of instant fusion adoption on a global scale. Now I’ve covered nuclear energy in previous episodes, and even looked at things like the Thorium reactors as being a possible alternative. But I’ve wanted to cover fusion for a long time, mainly due to the massive scale of the implications, both positive and negative, when it is finally achieved, compared to almost any other emerging or upcoming future technology. And with the relatively recent breakthrough of the fusion ignition that happened in 2022 creating a newfound buzz around fusion, I think it’s the perfect time to get a look at this fascinating technology, where the industry currently is, and what might the next 10 years look like. 

About The Guest

To explain these ideas and many more, my guest this week is Andrew Holland, the CEO of the Fusion Industry Association. At the FIA, he advocates for the emerging private fusion industry before Congress, the White House, regulators, international bodies, and governments around the world.  He’s the author of the report, “Fusion Power – A 10 Year Plan for American Energy Security,” first published in 2013, laying out a roadmap for American leadership in fusion, which you’ll hear more about in today’s epsiode. 

He also previously led the American Security Project's energy and climate work, rising to lead the organization as Chief Operating Officer and worked in the U.S. Senate as Energy and Environmental Policy Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel. 

If you’ve ever wanted an overview of what the fusion industry currently is dealing with, beyond the complex technological aspects, Andrew clearly lays out a number of the challenges and opportunities, as well as giving a much more positive outlook than what the intro clip alludes to. 

FTI Website: https://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/ Andrew's Paper: https://www.americansecurityproject.org/fusion-white-paper-2014-10-year-plan-for-american-energy-security/
TimeCodes:

00:01:39 - Intro

00:04:16 - Interview Begins

00:08:11 - What is the current state of the Fusion Industry?

00:11:15 - Similarities between the New Space Industry and Fusion

00:14:41 - What will be the impacts of fusion energy?

00:19:27 - Main challenges for the fusion Industry

00:21:30 - How does the USA fusion industry compare to other countries?

00:24:31 - What is the importance of the ITER project in Europe?

00:31:49 - What does the recent Fusion Ignition breakthrough mean?

00:36:04 - How Important is the recent breakthrough for the future of the fusion industry?

00:39:32 - Fusion is no longer just a distant dream, it can be achieved

00:40:30 - How the Fusion Industry Association is supporting Fusion to happen

00:41:53 - What do the next 10 years mean for the Fusion Industry?

00:46:52 - How is AI impacting the Fusion Industry and Science development?

00:49:25 - Overlap between AI and Fusion Investments

00:50:08 - Andrews Vision of the future impacts for commercial fusion energy

00:56:05 - How to get in touch with Andrew