Commercial fusion

Commercial Fusion is a term used to refer to privately owned companies whose aim is to sell electricity produced by nuclear fusion. The industry now consists of over 40 companies who have attracted a combined total of more than $6 billion in investment.[1][2]

Commercial fusion companies

[edit]
Company Year founded Method Fuel Notes
Avalanche Energy 2018 Hybrid: colliding beam, electrostatic confinement deuterium–tritium [3]
Blue Laser Fusion 2022 Inertial confinement proton–boron [4]
Commonwealth Fusion Systems 2018 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [5]
Compact Fusion Systems, Inc. 2018 [citation needed]
Crossfield Fusion Ltd 2019 Closed orbit, velocity resonant systems Reactor development canceled 2021.[6][7]
CTFusion Inc 2015 Ceased trading in 2023.[8]
Deutelio 2022 Magnetic confinement deuterium–deuterium [7]
Electric Fusion Systems, Inc. 2020 Rydberg matter fuel-based fusion proton–lithium7 [9]
EMC2 Fusion 1985 Polywell [10][11]
Energy Singularity Fusion Power Technology 2021 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [12]
ENN Energy 2018 Magnetic confinement proton–boron [13][5]
EX-Fusion 2021 Inertial confinement deuterium–tritium [14]
First Light Fusion 2011 Inertial confinement deuterium–tritium [15][16][7][17][5]
Focused Energy 2021 Inertial confinement deuterium–tritium [18][7][17][19]
Fuse 2019 Magneto-inertial deuterium–tritium [citation needed]
Fusion Power Corporation 2016 Heavy ion fusion deuterium–tritium Dissolved in 2019.[20]
Gauss Fusion 2022 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [7]
General Atomics Fusion Division 2022 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [21]
General Fusion 2002 Magneto-inertial deuterium–tritium [5]
HB11 Energy 2017 Non-thermal laser fusion proton–boron [22][23][24]
Helical Fusion 2021 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [14]
HelicitySpace Corporation 2018 Magneto-inertial deuterium–deuterium For spaceflight uses[25]
Helion Energy 2013 Magneto-inertial deuterium–helium3 [26]
Horne Technologies 2008 Hybrid confinement: magnetic, electrostatic deuterium–deuterium, proton–boron [27][better source needed]
HyperJet Fusion [5]
Kyoto Fusioneering 2019 deuterium–tritium [14][28]
LaserFusionX 2022 Inertial confinement deuterium–tritium [19]
Lockheed Martin 2010 [29][5]
Longview Fusion Energy Systems 2021 Inertial confinement deuterium–tritium [17][19]
LPP Fusion, Inc.[citation needed] 2003 Magnetic confinement pinch proton–boron Also known as "Lawrenceville Plasma Physics"; see Eric J. Lerner article
Magneto Inertial Fusion Technology Inc. (MIFTI) 2009 Magneto-inertial deuterium–tritium Division of US Nuclear Corp[30]
Marvel Fusion 2019 Inertial confinement proton–boron [7][19]
Norront Fusion Energy 2017 Muon-catalyzed fusion [31]
NT-Tao 2019 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [32]
NearStar Fusion 2021 Magneto-inertial deuterium–tritium, deuterium–deuterium, proton–boron [33][34]
NK Labs, LLC 2008 Muon-catalyzed fusion deuterium–tritium [35]
Novatron Fusion Group AB 2019 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [36][37][38]
Openstar Technologies 2021 Magnetic confinement deuterium–deuterium (tritium suppressed) [citation needed]
Princeton Fusion Systems 1992 Magnetic confinement deuterium–helium3 [39][5]
Proxima Fusion 2023 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [7]
Realta Fusion 2022 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [40][41]
Renaissance Fusion 2021 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [7]
Stellarex, Inc 2022 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [28]
SHINE Technologies 2005 Magneto-electrostatic confinement deuterium–tritium SHINE's focus is radioisotope production, not energy.[42][43]
TAE Technologies 1998 Magnetic confinement proton–boron formerly Tri Alpha Energy[5]
Thea Energy (formerly Princeton Stellarators) 2022 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [28]
Tokamak Energy 2009 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [28]
Type One Energy Group 2019 Magnetic confinement deuterium–tritium [41]
Ultrafusion Nuclear Power Merged with Norront Fusion AS in 2018.[31]
Xcimer Energy Inc. 2022 Inertial confinement deuterium–tritium [17]
Zap Energy 2017 Magnetic confinement pinch deuterium–tritium [26]

First fusion electricity to the grid

[edit]
Commercial fusion companies predict that fusion power is roughly 10 years away

For decades researchers have famously said that fusion power is always 30, or even 50, years away.[44][45] The advent of commercial fusion has changed that, and now fusion power is typically predicted to be around 10 years away, with most companies predicting that the first fusion plant will deliver electricity to the grid before 2035.[46] Although the majority of the companies have only existed for a few years, some have already failed to deliver on their predictions. General Fusion first predicted that it would deliver electricity to the grid by 2009.[47]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ The global fusion industry in 2023 - Fusion Companies Survey by the Fusion Industry Association (PDF) (Report). Fusion Industry Association. 12 July 2023. p. 3. Retrieved 13 July 2023. The headline number for this report is that the fusion industry has now attracted over $6 billion in investment.
  2. ^ Hiller, Jennifer; Niiler, Eric; Woodward, Aylin (12 December 2022). "U.S. to Announce Nuclear-Fusion Energy Breakthrough". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  3. ^ Stiffler, Lisa (2023-04-24). "'Desktop fusion' startup Avalanche Energy lands $40M and logs new tech achievement". GeekWire.com.
  4. ^ Yamada, Ryotaro (23 July 2023). "Nuclear fusion race draws in Nobel-winning LED pioneer". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Clynes, Tom (28 Jan 2020). "5 Big Ideas for Making Fusion Power a Reality". IEEE Spectrum. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Mission". Crossfield Fusion. Retrieved 2 August 2023. The company adopted a new approach to building fusion reactors based on patented technology (US8138692) called the Epicyclotron. The company was founded in 2019 and developed a working fusion device in 2021 based on this approach. In October 2021 the company determined through the experimentation work completed and detailed 'particle in cell' modelling of loss mechanisms that the reactor would not scale as initially anticipated (and therefore could not be developed to deliver a net gain fusion reactor). The company is currently exploring the use of this technology they developed in hydrogen isotope separation as part of the fusion fuel cycle.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Bacon, Alexandra (27 July 2023). "Mapping Europe's nuclear fusion industry". Sifted. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  8. ^ Stiffler, Lisa (5 April 2023). "Energy startup CTFusion folds as co-founders land at rival Zap". GeekWire. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  9. ^ Emilio, Maurizio Di Paolo (8 July 2021). "EFS Plans Aneutronic Fusion Reactor". EE Times Asia. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Low-Cost Fusion Project Steps Out of the Shadows and Looks for Money". NBC News. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  11. ^ Ventura, Tim (13 December 2019). "Robert Bussard on IEC Fusion Power & The Polywell Reactor". Dialogue & Discourse. Medium. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  12. ^ Li, Stephanie (4 May 2023). "Chinese nuclear-tech firm Energy Singularity raises $58m funding". DealStreetAsia. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  13. ^ Barcelo, Yan (1 November 2022). "Nuclear Fusion May Be Nearer Than You Think". Morningstar. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  14. ^ a b c Foster, Scott (30 May 2023). "Japan's fusion start-ups starting to roll in money". Asia Times. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  15. ^ Andrews, Charlotte; Stern, Jeremy (14 July 2023). "Oxfordshire start-up hopes to transform nuclear fusion production". BBC News. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  16. ^ "First Light Fusion demonstration plant site agreement, targets 2024 construction start". World Nuclear News. World Nuclear Association. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d Clery, Daniel (15 February 2023). "Startups try to turn laser fusion success into clean power plants". Science. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  18. ^ Henrikson, Eric (20 June 2023). "Austin-based company attempts to design fusion power plant in Texas". KXAN-TV. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d Kramer, David (March 2023). "NIF success gives laser fusion energy a shot in the arm". Physics Today. 76 (3): 25–27. Bibcode:2023PhT....76c..25K. doi:10.1063/PT.3.5195. S2CID 257301499. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Fusion Power Corporation". Canada Company Directory. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  21. ^ Nikolewski, Rob (2 June 2023). "A step closer to making nuclear fusion a reality? San Diego's General Atomics partners with UK company". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  22. ^ Davidson, John (2 August 2023). "US backs Sydney fusion start-up's nuclear ambitions". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  23. ^ Margarone, Daniele; Bonvalet, Julien; Giuffrida, Lorenzo; Morace, Alessio; Kantarelou, Vasiliki; Tosca, Marco; Raffestin, Didier; Nicolai, Philippe; Picciotto, Antonino; Abe, Yuki; Arikawa, Yasunobu; Fujioka, Shinsuke; Fukuda, Yuji; Kuramitsu, Yasuhiro; Habara, Hideaki; Batani, Dimitri (January 2022). "In-Target Proton–Boron Nuclear Fusion Using a PW-Class Laser". Applied Sciences. 12 (3): 1444. doi:10.3390/app12031444. ISSN 2076-3417.
  24. ^ Jones, Jonathan Spencer (31 March 2022). "Australia's HB11 Energy demonstrates laser-powered nuclear fusion". Power Engineering International. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  25. ^ Marin, Natalija; Warznak, Grace; You, Setthivoine; Bellan, Paul; Pree, Seth; Romero-Talamás, Carlos; University of Maryland, Baltimore County Team (1 January 2021). "Engineering Design and Testing of the HelicitySpace Novel Rocket Concept". APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts. 2021: TP11.076. Bibcode:2021APS..DPPTP1076M.
  26. ^ a b Harris, Mark (29 June 2023). "Welcome to Fusion City, USA". IEEE Spectrum. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  27. ^ Meschini, Samuele; Laviano, Francesco; Ledda, Federico; Pettinari, Davide; Testoni, Raffella; Torsello, Daniele; Panella, Bruno (August 2023). "Review of commercial nuclear fusion projects". Frontiers in Energy Research. 11. doi:10.3389/fenrg.2023.1157394. ISSN 2296-598X.
  28. ^ a b c d "FY2023 Awards Announced by DOE « INFUSE". Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  29. ^ Clery, Daniel (17 October 2014). "Updated: Are old secrets behind Lockheed's new fusion machine?". Science. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  30. ^ Whittington, Mark (28 February 2021). "Solving the climate and energy crises: Mine the Moon's helium-3?". The Hill. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Developing new clean energy solutions from nuclear fusion (announcement)". GU Ventures (Swedish Government owned, University of Gothenburg managed (in Swedish). 2 April 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  32. ^ Lisbona, Natalie (27 April 2023). "The Israeli plan to fit a fusion reactor into a container". BBC News. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  33. ^ Hronik, Richard H. (24 March 2023). "Local fusion energy company commissions new experiment". Fairfax County Times. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  34. ^ Brain, Marshall (19 May 2023). "Climate hope: Fusion dream moving closer to reality as clean power source". WRAL-TV TechWire. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  35. ^ Knaian, Ara (7 April 2020). "Conditions for High-Yield Muon Catalyzed Fusion". Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). US Department of Energy. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  36. ^ Ericsson, Lisa (6 December 2022). "Fusion energy is focus of KTH investment (announcement)". KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Press release). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  37. ^ Lindsten, Per Olof (23 May 2023). "Fusion, edible bottles and electric aircraft: here are three hot Swedish projects". Google Translate. Dagens industri. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  38. ^ Cyrus, Callum (8 December 2022). "Looking to deliver fusion reactors from 2040 onwards, Novatron raises €3 million seed round". Tech.eu. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  39. ^ Paluszek, Michael (15 November 2018). "Next-Generation PFRC". Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) (Press release). US Department of Energy. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  40. ^ Nykiel, Teddy (5 June 2023). "Madison fusion energy startup lands $12 million to decarbonize heavy industry". Milwaukee Business Journal. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  41. ^ a b Heidemann, Emilie (1 June 2023). "2 Madison-area companies get federal money to help curb climate change through fusion energy". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  42. ^ Rude, Logan (3 August 2023). "Local fusion technology company takes step forward in developing small-scale nuclear reactions". WISC-TV.
  43. ^ Still, Tom (19 December 2022). "Fusion energy breakthrough is huge, but other uses will come first". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  44. ^ Nathaniel Scharping (23 May 2016). "Why Nuclear Fusion Is Always 30 Years Away". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  45. ^ "Why LIFE: Ready to Make History". Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. The standard joke about fusion is that it is 50 years away and always will be.
  46. ^ The global fusion industry in 2023 - Fusion Companies Survey by the Fusion Industry Association (PDF) (Report). Fusion Industry Association. 12 July 2023. p. 3. Retrieved 13 July 2023. In this report, 25 companies think the first fusion plant will deliver electricity to the grid before 2035.
  47. ^ "General Fusion: Investor". General Fusion. Archived from the original on 2 September 2003. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
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