The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is already billions of dollars over budget and decades behind schedule. How much more money and time it will take to complete, not even its leaders can say
People say that fusion will use very cheap and harmless fuel to generate energy. But practically the real fuel will be all the replacement parts that will be constantly degraded and used up to maintain it’s operation.
I was under impression that for tokomak fusion the enclosure have to be so precisely manufactured that any minor damage requires replacement. If so, then maintenance will be way more expensive than regular power plants.
I think you’re making quite a big leap with that statement with very little to back it up. Once (if) a working Fusion reactor design is finalised, then manufacturing will ramp up and the quality of those components will only improve. Until we have that final design though, it’s impossible to make claims about how expensive maintenance will be.
People say that fusion will use very cheap and harmless fuel to generate energy. But practically the real fuel will be all the replacement parts that will be constantly degraded and used up to maintain it’s operation.
That’s true if of any power plant though. It’ll still be cheaper and safer (if it ever works).
I was under impression that for tokomak fusion the enclosure have to be so precisely manufactured that any minor damage requires replacement. If so, then maintenance will be way more expensive than regular power plants.
I think you’re making quite a big leap with that statement with very little to back it up. Once (if) a working Fusion reactor design is finalised, then manufacturing will ramp up and the quality of those components will only improve. Until we have that final design though, it’s impossible to make claims about how expensive maintenance will be.