Tuesday
Sep222015
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill The Lords on fusion
Sep 22, 2015 Energy: nuclear ;)
Back in July, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee took evidence on prospects for commercial nuclear fusion in the UK, hearing from Steven Cowley of the Culham fission research centre and David Kingham of Tokamak Energy Ltd.
Reading the transcript, it's hard to avoid the impression that in the UK at least fusion research is something of a white elephant, but one that is being sustained by climate change alarm. As has always been the case with fusion, the timescales discussed run to decades and project managers try to justify themselves with talk of spin-off benefits. However, Lord Peston noted that there is something of a problem with trying to use global warming as justification for the vast expenditure:
Lord Peston: I am a bit lost again—as you can tell, I get lost all the time. How can technology that will be available in 40 to 80 years possibly influence climate change? If we have to save the planet in the next 40 years, we are doomed anyway. You cannot use the climate change argument.
It's interesting to wonder just how far spending decisions are being distorted by climate change alarm.
Lord Peston turns out to be someone you could warm to, demonstrating a way of summing up key issues in a pithy fashion. Take this intervention for example, in which he considers claims that commercial fusion reactors will be available between 2040 and 2080:
Lord Peston: And you think you can forecast over that timescale? I do not know anyone else in the forecasting game who would remotely make a remark like that. I speak as someone who used to earn a good living from forecasting. You are talking about cloud-cuckoo-land, are you not?
I wonder where he stands on the climate issue?
Reader Comments (51)
There's been 35 years-worth of oil reserves in the world ever since I was about thirteen years old (and probably before that, but I wasn't paying attention).
Fusion seems to be rather similar.