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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
Shutaro Takeda, Satoshi Konishi, Yasushi Yamamoto, Ryuta Kasada, Shigeki Sakurai
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 68 | Number 2 | September 2015 | Pages 341-345
Technical Paper | Proceedings of TOFE-2014 | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-106
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This study analyzed adverse effects of fusion plants on the stability of small-scale grids through simulation-based case studies. Major frequency fluctuations were observed in the event of a plant start-up and a sudden interruption of fusion electric output power, as represented by plasma disruption, suggesting difficulties in fusion plant installation to majority of countries in the future. To mitigate the adverse effects, a fusion plant combined with an energy storage was proposed and evaluated. The results indicated that large energy storage like pumped-hydro storage could successfully reduce the frequency deviations to the acceptable range. An innovative offshore pumped-hydro storage, marine inverse dam, is also discussed in this paper.