Fusion Power: From Science to Electricity
18 March @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Professor Sir Steven Cowley will join Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution via livestream from Princeton.
In August of 1920, Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington postulated, correctly, that the sun is powered by fusing Hydrogen into Helium. We have been trying to tame that process for over seventy years to generate clean, safe, sustainable energy. Recent experiments show that we can “do fusion” – however, “doing” fusion at a cost and reliability that is required for electricity production requires further innovation. In the last decade, private investment in fusion start-up companies has expanded rapidly — some $9 billion has been committed. The UK and the US governments are aiming at generating first fusion electricity by the late 2030s or early 2040s – recognising the significant challenges remaining.
Professor Sir Steven Cowley will describe the science, the landscape, and the prospects.
