civhelp121
Prince
Fusion is an incredible process. It gives off energy with no pollution. The big problem, of course, being that fusion is not profitable, and I believe takes more energy than it gives off. For the second problem, I believe that we are making progress in it. If you look at fusion reactors now than decades earlier you will see that they are becoming more efficient. As for the first part, it could be solved by Helium-3
Basically a major problem with fusing two hydrogen atoms is that they give off particles that damage the hull of the reactor, forcing people to have to replace the hull. Helium-3 gives off harmless particles, and so the hull of the reactor doesn't need to be replaced. This, combined with more and more efficient fusion reactors, makes fusion a serious source of energy in the future. However helium-3 is very scarce on Earth because of Earth's atmosphere. However, it is abundant on the moon because of its lack of atmosphere. Hence the second space race:
http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2006/12/72276
India, China, US, and Russia are racing to mine helium-3 first. The earliest, Russia, plans to mine helium-3 by 2020. Of course there is no guarentee that fusion will work, even if it is becoming more efficient, but I think the fact that the major space powers all want to mine helium-3 proves that fusion with helium-3 is very likely to be profitable and the main source of energy for generations to come.
As I stated before, Russia has the fastest timeline. They want to have a permanent base on the moon by 2015 (or at least start building it) and start industrial level mining of helium-3 by 2020. The U.S is second, and want a permanent base on the moon by 2020 and industrial level mining by 2025. Personally, I have a hard time believing the Russians can achieve their timeline. The drop in gas prices has put a heavy burden on the Russians budget and they have yet to even reach the moon, let alone establish a permanent base.
Basically a major problem with fusing two hydrogen atoms is that they give off particles that damage the hull of the reactor, forcing people to have to replace the hull. Helium-3 gives off harmless particles, and so the hull of the reactor doesn't need to be replaced. This, combined with more and more efficient fusion reactors, makes fusion a serious source of energy in the future. However helium-3 is very scarce on Earth because of Earth's atmosphere. However, it is abundant on the moon because of its lack of atmosphere. Hence the second space race:
http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2006/12/72276
India, China, US, and Russia are racing to mine helium-3 first. The earliest, Russia, plans to mine helium-3 by 2020. Of course there is no guarentee that fusion will work, even if it is becoming more efficient, but I think the fact that the major space powers all want to mine helium-3 proves that fusion with helium-3 is very likely to be profitable and the main source of energy for generations to come.
As I stated before, Russia has the fastest timeline. They want to have a permanent base on the moon by 2015 (or at least start building it) and start industrial level mining of helium-3 by 2020. The U.S is second, and want a permanent base on the moon by 2020 and industrial level mining by 2025. Personally, I have a hard time believing the Russians can achieve their timeline. The drop in gas prices has put a heavy burden on the Russians budget and they have yet to even reach the moon, let alone establish a permanent base.