A France-based company is using stellarator technology to accelerate fusion research in Europe. Renaissance Fusion is building stellarators that it claims could be the most efficient, steady, and stable fusion reactors on Earth.
There are several approaches that are close to demonstrating net fusion electricity generation.
Laser fusion compresses a capsule to very high pressures by means of powerful lasers. In contrast, tokamaks and stellarators, which are doughnut-shaped devices, magnetically levitate hot ionized gases (plasmas) and heat them to temperatures hotter than the sun.
The company maintains that with unique High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) magnets and liquid metal shields, it brings stellarators out of the lab and onto the grid.
“To meet net zero emissions goals, a safe, abundant, 24/7 energy source is needed to complement renewables and storage. Fusion is that source,” said Renaissance Fusion.
The company stressed that in the process of simplifying the stellarator, it also simplifies the manufacturing of high-temperature superconductors (HTS).
This is a relatively new class of materials, allowing the generation of strong magnetic fields and thus enabling more compact and affordable fusion devices. It is typically a very lengthy and expensive process, but the company has accelerated it, according to Innovation News Network.
To read more, click here.