Nuclear Fusion’s Time is (Finally) Coming

Nuclear fusion seems to have been “twenty years away” forever, but recent advances could mean fusion is finally on its way to becoming part of our energy mix. Azeem Azhar speaks to Nick Hawker, co-founder and CEO of First Light Fusion, a UK-based company that uses an approach it calls “projectile fusion” to generate energy.

That method uses an electromagnetic launcher to fire material towards fuel at high speeds. Nick explains why it’s one of the most promising approaches to a problem that has puzzled physicists for decades. He breaks down the challenges, both extraordinary and mundane, that fusion experiments involve.

They also discuss:

• Why First Light Fusion’s system could generate power more efficiently than the sun.

• When the first fusion reactor could plug into an electrical grid.

• How many lasers it takes to turn on a light bulb.

@Azeem (twitter.com/azeem)

@FLF_Nick (twitter.com/flf_nick)

Further resources

Investing in Deep Tech for an (talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2021/332-where…)Abundant (talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2021/332-where…)Future (talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2021/332-where…) (Exponential View Podcast, 2021)

About Exponential View:
Welcome to Exponential View, where Azeem Azhar examines how exponential technologies such as AI are reshaping the future. Each week, Azeem shares his analysis or speaks with an expert guest to shed light on frontier shifts across technology, business and society.

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Production by EPIIPLUS1.
Production and research: Baba Films, Marija Gavrilov.

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