Achieving controlled fusion is a very difficult problem to solve. Achieving scientific break even implies solving numerous problems, improving the experiments, making measurements, analysing them and so far that goal has not been achieved by any experiment. Many fusion ideas have been killed as being impossible, but it is very encouraging to see the wide amount of different devices and ideas that are currently being pursued. With limited funding progress will inevitable be slow and requires patience and persistence of the researchers. Some of the involved companies don't report at all or very little on their progress, which gives the false appearance that not much is happening. On the other hand there are some experiments reporting very openly and actively on their progress like LPP. Some concrete progress can also be seen by General Fusion which is building a 14 cylinder test device that can be viewed on their redesigned web page.Carl White wrote:Does anyone else find themselves becoming disillusioned over the whole alternative energy field?
Polywell, General Fusion, Tri Alpha, LPP, LENR, solar, hydrogen, NIF, thorium... blah blah blah. We just keep hearing about them and then they seem fade away again. Never anything concrete demonstrated. Never that definitive proof of more energy out than in. Just year after year of a trickle of hope. After a while, the hope turns to ashes. Why bother to hope when nothing ever comes.
http://www.generalfusion.com/
http://www.generalfusion.com/wp-content ... e-for2.jpg
LPP has an open letter on their homepage that scientist and non-scientist can sign if they support the request for a broader fusion research funding to improve the rate of progress of fusion research.
http://www.lawrencevilleplasmaphysics.c ... &Itemid=90