Powering Tomorrow: How Fusion Energy Could Meet the Surging Demand of Our High-Tech World
How do we avoid stalling out due to a lack of power?
There is a problem with our rapidly advancing technology that we aren’t talking about enough, and that’s the fact that there is not enough energy being produced to power the world we’re headed towards.
AI and machine learning, for example, require substantial computational power, which in turn demands a lot of energy. Data centers, which power much of our cloud computing and AI algorithms, consume an enormous amount of electricity. As AI technologies become more integrated into various sectors—ranging from healthcare to finance—the energy consumption of data centers is expected to increase dramatically.
Electric vehicles, if they’re going to be truly sustainable, need to siphon off the electrical grid. Charging millions of EVs requires a robust and clean energy grid. No use skimping on the fossil fuels to fill our tanks if we’re just going to use them to charge the batteries.
Quantum computing has the potential to solve complex problems much faster than current supercomputers, but these quantum systems can also be incredibly energy-intensive. The cooling systems needed to maintain quantum processors at extremely low temperatures, for instance, require significant amounts of power. As quantum computing moves from research labs into practical use, the energy demand of these systems will need to be met sustainably.
The connection between these rapidly evolving technologies and the need for more energy is clear: as we innovate, our energy needs grow. Meeting these needs with traditional fossil fuels is not sustainable due to their finite nature and environmental impact. Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are part of the solution, but they can be intermittent and require advancements in energy storage technologies to fully meet demand.
I believe the answer to all of this is fusion energy. Fusion energy, with its promise of providing a nearly limitless and clean source of power, could revolutionize how we fuel our technological advancements.
What is fusion and why should you care?
Fusion is the opposite of fission – fission splits atoms to create energy, while fusion smashes them together to form a heavier atom. Fusion powers the sun and stars. Fission powers atomic bombs. Also, fusion energy doesn’t exist yet as a usable energy source.
Fission is what creates the nuclear power we currently use. They both operate on a subatomic level. There are advancements being made in the traditional nuclear power industry, but fusion is a whole different thing.
Fusion energy has been a holy grail for scientists and energy experts due to its potential to revolutionize how we produce and consume energy. In the movie The Saint with Val Kilmer and Elizabeth Shue, Shue discovers fusion and sees it as a way to power the world for free. But is free, unlimited energy a possibility? Is that what scientists working on fusion aim for now?
Explainer: Fusion uses isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium), with deuterium extractable from seawater and tritium breedable from lithium. Our oceans contain vast quantities of deuterium, enough to power the planet for millions of years.
Fusion reactions require extremely high temperatures and precise conditions to occur. If there's any disruption, the reaction naturally stops. Unlike fission reactors, which can suffer from meltdowns if not properly managed, fusion doesn't pose the same level of catastrophic risk. Fusion also doesn’t produce nearly the same amount of nuclear waste as fission/traditional nuclear power.
Potential benefits to our daily life include:
Lower energy bills
Energy independence as a nation
Better quality of life for nations that have extreme temperatures
Safer, more sustainable forms of energy
So. Much. More. Power. To power all the things we discussed above.
Unfortunately, the concept of fusion as a "free" energy source is more aspirational than literal. Once operational, though, fusion plants should offer a low-cost, abundant source of energy. But will the people behind the companies developing fusion go for that? No telling.
The folks doing the work: David Kirtley
The company I want to focus on in this substack is Helion Energy, founded by David Kirtley and financed in part ($500 million) by Open AI founder Sam Altman.
Helion Energy is a private company focused on developing fusion energy technology. David Kirtley co-founded Helion with the goal of creating a practical, scalable fusion power solution.
Kirtley is a scientist and entrepreneur deeply involved in the field of fusion energy. Before co-founding Helion, he worked in aerospace engineering and fusion research. His academic background includes physics and engineering, which laid the foundation for his work in fusion energy.
Helion's approach focuses on pulsed, magnetically confined fusion, with the aim of creating a system that can produce more energy than it consumes, a milestone known as net energy gain. Their design aims to be smaller, cheaper, and more scalable than traditional fusion reactor designs.
Over the years, Helion Energy has made significant progress in developing its fusion technology. In November 2021, the company raised $500 million to complete the construction of Polaris, Helion's seventh-generation fusion generator. Polaris is expected to be the first fusion device capable of demonstrating net electricity production, with Helion planning to reach this milestone in 2024.
Other milestones:
In June 2021, Helion became the first private company to exceed 100 million degrees Celsius in their fusion generator prototype, Trenta. This achievement is significant as it represents the ideal fuel temperature for commercial power plant operation.
Alongside this, Helion's Trenta prototype completed a 16-month testing campaign, pushing fusion fuel performance to unprecedented levels and performing lifetime and reliability testing on key components of the fusion system.
Helion has partnered with Microsoft to build the world's first fusion plant, which aims to provide a new, efficient method for bringing more clean energy to the grid. Microsoft has agreed to buy electricity from Helion once their fusion facility is operational.
This article doesn’t need any conclusion other than: Let’s goooooo.