The commercialisation of fusion for the energy market: a review of socio-economic studies

Griffiths, Thomas; Pearson, Richard; Bluck, Michael J.; Takeda, Shutaro

doi:10.1088/2516-1083/ac84bf

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 196 publications

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“…In a world of increasingly competitive renewable energy [8], a potential nuclear fission renaissance [9], and increasing interest in enablers like interconnectors and energy storage technologies [10,11], the electricity generation will be a challenging sector to break into. By 2040 or so, the transition to greener electricity sources may be largely complete [12].…”

Section: Energy Conversionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kyoto Fusioneering’s Mission to Accelerate Fusion Energy: Technologies, Challenges and Role in Industrialisation

Baus

Barron²,

D’Angiò³

et al. 2023

J Fusion Energ

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Making fusion power viable both technologically and commercially has been a challenge for decades due to the great complexity of the science and engineering challenges. In recent years, changes in both government policies and the emergence of private fusion companies have ushered a newfound push to accelerate fusion energy development. Kyoto Fusioneering (KF) is a privately funded fusion engineering start-up, founded to accelerate the development of high performance, commercially viable technologies that will be required for a fusion power plant, specifically those associated with heating and current drive systems, power generation, and the tritium fuel cycle. The company is focused on supporting the rapid expansion of the budding fusion industry. This paper provides a high-level description of some of the technical and industrial challenges it is tackling in developing a commercial fusion reactor, in particular in relation to: plasma heating with gyrotrons, tritium handling and breeding, energy conversion, and fusion materials. It provides an overview of KF's activities in finding solutions to challenges in each of these areas, including via its new testing facility now under construction, UNITY (Unique Integrated Testing Facility). KF’s core capabilities and areas of R&D focus are discussed, with reference to how they benefit the development of a new fusion industry as a whole and bring the technology closer to industrialisation, including via UNITY and through collaboration with external partners. The importance of industrialisation and subsequently commercialisation is also discussed, through KF’s assessment of the newly emerging fusion ecosystem, and where KF as a company sits within it.

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Section: Energy Conversionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kyoto Fusioneering’s Mission to Accelerate Fusion Energy: Technologies, Challenges and Role in Industrialisation

Baus

Barron²,

D’Angiò³

et al. 2023

J Fusion Energ

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“…A new energy pathway for huge energy production is also essential as alternative energy. As an advanced energy protocol, fusion energy is prospective it is now beyond commercialization and will initially be out of reach to developing economies [85][86][87][88]. Biochar is another effective way of reducing carbon footprint [89].…”

Section: Energy-emission Meta-analysis and Future Directionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Net zero emission and sustainable development in electricity: emerging Asia’s Bangladesh context in global perspective

Ghosh,

Ahmed,

Datta

et al. 2024

Prog. Energy

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Electricity plays a crucial role in the energy sector. Its production often leads to substantial CO2 emissions, contributing much to climate change. This issue is principally crucial in rapidly developing Asian economies where surging energy demands involve huge emission concerns. This study focuses on the assessment of net zero emission (NZE) scenarios for electricity in emerging Asia. Following the guidelines of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the imperative of sustainable energy and environmental practices extends beyond developed economies to include developing ones. To mitigate emissions, innovative strategies to curtail non-renewable energy sources are essential. By exploring the dynamics of primary energy flow, and electricity-related emissions, this research emphasizes the significance of integrating substantial renewable energy proportions within diverse setups. A theoretical framework is proposed by employing thermodynamic models that link energy mix configurations to environmental outcomes. Given the considerable population in developing Asian nations, a delicate equilibrium between energy demands and environmental stewardship is imperative, aligning with sustainable development goals (SDGs). The study establishes the correlations between thermodynamic models and energy scenario variations, particularly within the context of the Global Energy and Climate (GEC) model and NZE policy framework under universal energy access protocols. Hereafter, this paper examines Bangladesh's energy management trajectory, focusing on its status as the most climate-vulnerable region in developing Asia and the world. Finally, a suitable energy management pathway for Bangladesh to contribute insights into the alignment of energy policies with environmental and development goals has been proposed to achieve sustainable energy futures.

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“…There are other few options as side applications for nuclear fusion. We refer to side applications to stress that those are not considered as core business [despite radical innovations in fusion technology or the growth of new markets may change this paradigm (Griffiths et al, 2022)] but as possible additional revenue streams for fusion power plants (Alhamdan et al, 2022). Low-temperature applications of fusion energy include desalination and district heating, while high-temperature applications include hydrogen production and process heat production (Griffiths et al, 2022).…”

Section: Other Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of commercial nuclear fusion projects

Meschini,

Laviano,

Ledda

et al. 2023

Front. Energy Res.

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Nuclear fusion technologies have re-gained momentum in the last decade thanks to their disruptive potential in different fields, such as energy production and space propulsion, and to new technological developments, especially high temperature superconductor tapes, which allow overcoming previous performance or design limits. To date, reviews of recent nuclear fusion designs are lacking. Therefore, this paper aims at giving a comprehensive overview of nuclear fusion concepts for industrial applications with a focus on the private sector. The designs are classified according to the three leading concepts for plasma confinement, namely, magnetic confinement, inertial confinement and magneto-inertial confinement. The working principles of the main devices are described in detail to highlight strengths and weaknesses of the different designs. The importance of the public sector on private projects is discussed. The technological maturity is estimated, and the main criticalities for each project are identified. Finally, the geographical distribution of the companies (or public institutions) pursuing the design of fusion devices for commercial applications is reported.

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The commercialisation of fusion for the energy market: a review of socio-economic studies

Cited by 12 publications

References 196 publications

Kyoto Fusioneering’s Mission to Accelerate Fusion Energy: Technologies, Challenges and Role in Industrialisation

Kyoto Fusioneering’s Mission to Accelerate Fusion Energy: Technologies, Challenges and Role in Industrialisation

Net zero emission and sustainable development in electricity: emerging Asia’s Bangladesh context in global perspective

Review of commercial nuclear fusion projects

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