Dr. Michio Kaku - Clean, Safe Fusion Power Coming In 25 Years.

[bludog]

Michio Kaku - Solar will become competitive with fossil fuels in 10 or 15 years. Fusion plants will become a reality in 25 or so years.

Video is 2&1/2 minutes long.

 

[bludog]

The next step in power production by nuclear fusion will be helium3.

 

When helium3 and deuterium fuse the result is normal helium and a proton. There is less waste than in other types of fusion and the reaction is far easier to contain. Clean power is the outcome; No waste; No radiation; Zero possibility of a meltdown.

 

H3 is extremely rare here on Earth but relatively abundant on our Moon. About 25 tonnes of helium-3 ... or a fully-loaded Space Shuttle cargo bay's worth ... could power the United States for a year. This means that helium-3 has a potential economic value in the order of $3bn a tonne ... making it the only thing remotely economically viable to consider mining from the Moon given current and likely-near-future space travel technologies and capabilities.

 

Several countries, especially China are preparing for a space race to the Moon on a quest for helium3. The United States had better wake up and start preparations to mine H3 on the Moon. Otherwise, we will have to buy H3 from others, at the asking price.

[TheOldBarn]

One thing we need to invest big time in is a new twenty first century power grid! We have come a long way with solar and wind, but the grid basically wastes a good deal of energy creation that "currently" goes into it. We need to get away from the centralized system we currently have. Yes, we need to spend a few trillion to do it. But the pay off would be huge. Just reducing pollution would save billions each year in healthcare costs. The grid as it stands now, wasting much of the energy that goes into it, is a huge problem that needs to be solved.

 

http://www.npr.org/2016/08/22/490932307/aging-and-unstable-the-nations-electrical-grid-is-the-weakest-link

 

Peace!

[TheOldBarn]

also wanted to mention the entire infrastructure needs an overhaul. stuck in traffic lately? yeah, we need more not less mass transit, and on top of that we need to focus on making it easier to walk or ride bikes almost anywhere one needs to go. Yesterday I went thirty miles on a bike - all on a bike trail away from traffic in California. It was like heaven, we stopped midway for lunch. There were many places we could have stopped, shopping, library, you name it. In any metropolitan area you typically have almost anything you need within a thirty mile radius btw.

 

This would encourage people to get out more and see their own cities and towns as well as get exercise. It encourages entrepreneurship as well because when people are in their cars they do miss a lot of what's out there.

 

Peace!

[TheOldBarn]

The economics on transitioning away from fossil fuel is often misconstrued. Just like gridlock is actually a good thing as far as people like the Koch's are concerned, or the idea that illegal immigrants who were indeed lured here by meat plants and farming conglomerates is a red herring of disproportion to be sure.

 

http://cepr.net/blogs/beat-the-press/wall-street-journal-warns-that-president-obama-s-target-on-global-warming-could-cost-half-as-much-as-iraq-afghan-wars

 

Peace!

[DonJoe]

Fusion has been predicted to be within 20 years for at least 40 years. Kaku mentions this, but says this time is different. They said that each time in the past also. That is not to say the prediction won't come true, but that making such predictions often comes out wrong. I hope this time it is correct. Kaku also mentions that perhaps solar will be economically feasible in the short term. I think it is feasible now. Oil might appear cheaper, but that is with giant subsidies. Turn those subsidies to solar and great things could happen. I suggest the biggest problem with solar is energy storage, i.e. having enough energy when the sun isn't shining. Spent next November in Minnesota and see cold weather without many sunny days and the point becomes clear.

 

My main point is that while fusion might happen, there are other options. There are other giant problems, but there are great solutions. Not enough food? Now its simply a delivery problem, but what about in 35 years when the population is much larger? There are solutions, but it takes political will to implement them. Wealth distribution? there are solutions. Medical care for all, there are solutions. The only question is when will people implement those solutions. (My guess is they will wait till they have to. When they really care about children starving, or not having clean air, or watching family members die because they can't afford an epi pen... )

[TheOldBarn]

Fusion has been predicted to be within 20 years for at least 40 years. Kaku mentions this, but says this time is different. They said that each time in the past also. That is not to say the prediction won't come true, but that making such predictions often comes out wrong. I hope this time it is correct. Kaku also mentions that perhaps solar will be economically feasible in the short term. I think it is feasible now. Oil might appear cheaper, but that is with giant subsidies. Turn those subsidies to solar and great things could happen. I suggest the biggest problem with solar is energy storage, i.e. having enough energy when the sun isn't shining. Spent next November in Minnesota and see cold weather without many sunny days and the point becomes clear.

 

My main point is that while fusion might happen, there are other options. There are other giant problems, but there are great solutions. Not enough food? Now its simply a delivery problem, but what about in 35 years when the population is much larger? There are solutions, but it takes political will to implement them. Wealth distribution? there are solutions. Medical care for all, there are solutions. The only question is when will people implement those solutions. (My guess is they will wait till they have to. When they really care about children starving, or not having clean air, or watching family members die because they can't afford an epi pen... )

I think it has a lot to do with the current infrastructure and how much capital is tied into it. This makes it difficult on the political front since any real change is shunted by those who hold the power - Tesla is one company trying to move on its own, I hope others will follow suite, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

When you buy a car today it's going to be around at least ten years. It is expansive thinking about things like this, there's a necessary forecasting that goes into it - all the appliances you buy, will be around for awhile, and on and on. When you build a pipe line to deliver fuel / it is designed to be around a long time.

 

This is why we need major action now. It's critical that we plan out the next thirty years in a big way. Yet it's hardly a major driving force politically.

 

Peace!