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AustrianRocket t1_j24u8bl wrote

Reply to comment by ALovelyPoS in Will Nuclear Fusion Dump Clean Energy? by Rough-Lavishness-401

No, it was more like 200 in, 2 hit the target, 3 out. We are far away from a commercial use of fusion power.

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AustrianRocket t1_j24ulah wrote

Furthermore the "3 out" is thermal energy, which would have to be converted to electricity, which happens with additional energy losses.

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x3lr4 t1_j25kdzl wrote

Actually a Q_total greater than 1 might be feasible. They didn't fully burn the pellet. If it fuses completely, there's 20 times more energy to be had. Also rebuilding the facility with newer lasers can make it 10 times more efficient. So overall a factor 200 is possible, which could give the entire facility a Q_total of 3. But yes, it still wouldn't be a power plant.

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