America Must Advance Leadership Role in Clean Fusion Power
As the world discovered when the United States deployed the power of atomic energy to end World War II, the nation that has the means to harness this incredible force in any of its many forms has the means of dictating terms to the rest of the globe.
So it should come as no surprise that China is devoting financial, technological, and educational resources to harness what is commonly called, “controlled fusion.” Or, to be specific, to place the enormous energy that powers the Sun inside a reactor that, in turn, could replace virtually every fossil fuel facility on the planet, running on a virtually inexhaustible supply of “clean” fuel.
From subduing the political power of those enemy nations seeking to use their oil and gas reserves to bully America, to addressing climate change concerns, controlled fusion could be as powerful an advance as fire and the wheel.
The Chinese fully recognize the implications of owning this kind of strategic achievement.
Industry reports suggest the Chinese government is putting billions into developing laboratories required to study how to create a sustainable controlled fusion reaction. It is far from easy, as it requires extremely high heat and enormous pressures. One energy industry report says:
“They are training a growing cadre of scientists, with a goal of training 1,000 new plasma physicists to support this program. This plan by the Chinese government shows a real commitment to fusion and makes them a possible front-runner in the global rush to viable fusion technology.”
The Chinese are clearly playing the long game, something our nation has traditionally declined to do. Recent media reports reveal that Chinese leadership has directed significant investment in educational initiatives that will allow growing numbers of Chinese students to major in math, science and engineering. One news dispatch suggests that enrollment has increased more than tenfold since 2000, while spending on research and development has tripled over the past ten years.
This column mentions controlled fusion. My read is “cold fusion” and I think it’s much closer than folks realize. This is a job for American and Canadian scientists and my belief is we can do it if we keep China from stealing the plans.
If they get there first maybe we can steal them from them!
It is after all an option!