Science

GenXer47

(1,204 posts) Mon Dec 12, 2022, 11:46 AM Dec 2022

Nuclear fusion breakthrough (not breakeven though)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nuclear-fusion-energy-breakthrough-us-expected-announcement-zero-carbon-power/

This is exciting news, but read carefully: the reaction produced more energy than the lasers emitted; but it still took "tens" of times as much energy to power the lasers.
If someone can invent a laser powered by the ribs, chicken, brats, burgers, cheese puffs, jalapeno poppers, taco dip, spinach dip, stuffed mushrooms, potato chips, fritos, cheetos, cheesecake, beer, and wine consumed on a single Sunday during football season, we'll be A-OK!

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Nuclear fusion breakthrough (not breakeven though) (Original Post) GenXer47 Dec 2022 OP

it is actually worse than that lapfog_1 Dec 2022 #1

lapfog_1

(30,168 posts)

1. it is actually worse than that

Reply to GenXer47 (Original post)

Mon Dec 12, 2022, 12:43 PM

Dec 2022

The energy produced needs to be converted to electricity to power the lasers to create a completely sustainable self-contained reaction. After that... you need to produce excess amount of electricity (via boiling water to turn turbines or whatever) to actually create a power plant.

still, producing more energy than it lasers consumed is a milestone.

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