How Many Years Away is Fusion Energy? A Review
Shutaro Takeda, Alexander Ryota Keeley, Shunsuke Managi
Abstract
Historically, it has been a running quip that ‘fusion is always 30 years away.’ This is a phrase, or some variation of it, any researcher in fusion energy must have heard of at least once in their career. In fact, fusion energy’s promise of clean, safe, and virtually unlimited energy has driven researchers of many generations toward the realization of this future energy source. However, in recent years, efforts toward commercialization have significantly accelerated worldwide, which is exemplified by recent national initiatives like the Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy in the U.S. [ 1 ] and the UK’s electricity-generating STEP plant that plans to be completed by 2040 [ 2 ]. Further, the private sector is proposing even more ambitious timelines than the UK government, where 3 out of 4 companies are expecting to achieve fusion power generation during the 2030s [ 3 ].