scrAPES #6 |Fusion power: is it getting any closer?
Link: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/aug/23/fusion-power-is-it-getting-closer
Date: Tuesday 23 August 2011
Author: Leo Hickman
Topic: How long is it until we are able to get a virtually unlimited energy source (fusion power)?
With the dying resources of fossil fuels, we will need to find an alternative energy source to fuel our needs. Fusion power could just as well be that next energy source. This energy source is literally like having the power of the sun on earth. You might think that this is solar power but the potential that this fuel source can generate can't even compare. Using the same process that the sun creates to make it's energy, we are able to harness it's power to virtually create unlimited energy with almost little to no pollution. The question is, when will this "savior" be able to run. If this is available by the time we consume all our resources that are now present, many problems other than a tragedy of a common could be fixed.
As soon as this is able to start running, we can forget about many other problems. One of these problems would be the problem of excess carbon dioxide. Fossil fuels were mostly the reason why the poison, carbon dioxide, is in the air. This new found energy can provide a safe and clean way to fix the problem. Another problem that would be fixed would be the pollution of radioactivity being created. This is also fixed by replacing the fossil fuels.
Though this technology is found, that doesn't mean that it will be running right away. Turn off lights, unplug devices, and use appliances only when they are truly needed. We can't just assume that this is even able to run. If it is, it is our responsibility to keep the world livable by then. Only then will we be able to secure that the fuel source is truly what it is
As soon as this is able to start running, we can forget about many other problems. One of these problems would be the problem of excess carbon dioxide. Fossil fuels were mostly the reason why the poison, carbon dioxide, is in the air. This new found energy can provide a safe and clean way to fix the problem. Another problem that would be fixed would be the pollution of radioactivity being created. This is also fixed by replacing the fossil fuels.
Though this technology is found, that doesn't mean that it will be running right away. Turn off lights, unplug devices, and use appliances only when they are truly needed. We can't just assume that this is even able to run. If it is, it is our responsibility to keep the world livable by then. Only then will we be able to secure that the fuel source is truly what it is