This video is extremely disingenuous. Most of it is just a summary of the current state of research reactors, but said in a skeptical tone. Then he implies that fusion researchers are not aware of the difference between Qplasma and Qtotal, or perhaps trying to hide this from you. And his conclusion he's trying to build to is that the money spent on fusion research is wasted and should be spent on renewable buildout, as if these are the only two projects in the world, while oil and gas extraction facilities routinely cost more to build than the entire world-wide fusion research budget, and individual oil pipelines have costed more than ITER.
I thought it was a good video
Then he implies that fusion researchers are not aware of the difference between Qplasma and Qtotal
It's not aimed at fusion researchers it's aimed at laypeople. The way people were posting about fusion 'breakthroughs' before definitely confused me. I didn't know the Qtotal ITER was aiming for was so far from breaking even, or that they haven't been able to run these projects for even just a second at a time.
And his conclusion he’s trying to build to is that the money spent on fusion research is wasted and should be spent on renewable buildout, as if these are the only two projects in the world, while oil and gas extraction facilities routinely cost more to build
Then why don't we convince our elected officials to spend the oil money on renewables??
It's not like they're just waiting for someone to point this out to them before they'll come around and do the right thing, they're spending on fossil fuels because it makes them money, so we do have a limited budget for alternative energy sources. Just like electric cars are a scam, hydrogen fuel is a scam, it seems like this is just another way for capital to spin a story and say we don't have to radically change anything, we can innovate ourselves out of the crisis, so just keep the money coming. Fusion isn't gonna make any difference when it comes to climate change
Fusion research is a rounding error on the budgets of US, EU, and China. I assure you the reason we haven't invested enough in renewable energy is not because we're spending it all on fusion research. This is the same faux populist thing as when conservatives pretend that we could all get a massive tax cut if it were not for some obscure budget line item that cuts expenses by like a hundredth of a percent.
The purpose of solving hard science problem is to get unexpected experience, like learning superconducting design or plasma properties.
Also lol, 10s of billions of dollars, usa set 6 trillion on stonk line fire in a month
Also, 10s of billions seems like a stretch, it's like technically true, but it's the bare minimum (like 20ish billion). The cost is also split across USA, Canada, EU, and China. Seems so weird to obsess over a scientific expense that's smaller than those countries' space programs.
honestly who gives a shit if it doesn't go anywhere (which is unlikely, even if power-producing fusion never happens a lot of useful discoveries will probably be made in its persuit), i'd rather they spend money on fusion than giving $1 trillion to boeing to make a plane that decapitates the pilot
i’d rather they spend money on fusion than giving $1 trillion to boeing to make a plane that decapitates the pilot
Well, to be fair, I've never heard of a fusion reactor decapitating an American imperialist.
