Fusion Energy: the Future of America

The American Security Project (ASP) released a new map on its website (see here) that shows how research into fusion energy reaches to every corner of America.

Fusion energy can provide the United States with clean, abundant, and safe energy for generations to come. Not only will fusion provide future rewards, fusion research contributes to local economies and communities today in virtually every U.S. state.

ASP’s CEO, Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret.) said: “America’s security is undermined by the lack of a clear national energy policy. Around the country, researchers and businesses are working hard to develop new, next-generation technologies. ASP’s work shows the importance of the work on fusion energy to both America’s future and its present.”

ASP’s Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate Policy, Andrew Holland said “Fusion energy holds the promise to revolutionize the way we power our economy. By 2050, all electric power plants currently operating in the United States will need to be replaced. While fossil fuels and the renewable energy technologies of today will play a role, ultimately, we must develop next-generation energy technologies.”

Here in the United States, the three major experiments for research into magnetically-confined fusion (which uses powerful magnets to confine the superheated plasma) are the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), and the DIII-D Research Program at General Atomics’ Fusion Energy Research Lab in San Diego.

These experiments are supported by major scientific research institutions like Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and by a range of businesses, contractors, and researchers in every corner of the country.

The fusion energy industry has a nationwide economic footprint, as ASP’s new map shows. A few key facts illustrate the breadth of the fusion industry:

·      47 out of 50 states host research facilities, contractors, or businesses that form a part of America’s fusion research program

·      There are over 775 research institutions and businesses supporting fusion research

·      There are at least 1,200 direct research positions in the fusion industry, which is supported by countless indirect contractors and vendors

·      Key States: There are at least 168 affiliated institutions and businesses in California, 108 in Tennessee and 95 in Massachusetts

You can find the map here.

Here is link to ASP’s fusion mini-site.