日期:2022/09/26 IAE
白宮峰會關於為商業核融合聚變能源製定大膽的十年願景的宣讀 / Readout of the White House Summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy THE WHITE HOUSE 2022 年 4 月 19 日
【执行摘要】
拜登-哈里斯政府正在制定一项加速聚变能的战略——一种清洁能源技术，它使用与为太阳和恒星提供能量的相同反应。 2022 年 3 月 17 日，白宫科技政策办公室 (OSTP) 和美国能源部 (DOE) 共同主办了首届白宫峰会，主题是为商业聚变能源制定大胆的十年愿景。这场混合活动吸引了1,200 多名观众，见证了来自政府、工业界、学术界和其他利益相关者团体的聚变能源领导人展示所取得的进展，并就更新的聚变能源战略进行了包容性对话。
拜登-哈里斯政府宣布了三项新举措：
社区参与：拜登-哈里斯政府将领导制定一项十年战略，以加速实现商业聚变能源，造福所有利益相关者。未来的研讨会将在这一势头的基础上进一步确定一条清晰的成功之路。
能源部范围内的聚变倡议：能源部发起了一项全机构范围的倡议，以加快商业聚变能源的可行性，与私营部门协调。美国能源高级研究计划署 ARPA-E 聚变项目负责人 Scott Hsu 博士被宣布为新任 DOE 首席聚变能源协调员，并加入科学与创新部副部长办公室。
为推进聚变试验工厂的科学提供资金：美国能源部宣布了两项总额为5000 万美元的融资机会，将支持与未来聚变试验工厂的高优先级问题相关的基础科学和技术研究，包括等离子体建模、相互作用和控制。
广泛支持加速聚变能源
OSTP 负责人、总统副助理兼活动共同主办方 Alondra Nelson 在峰会开幕式上表达了总统对清洁能源科技的承诺，以及创新造福所有社区的必要性。 “Fusion 是一套规模大得多的清洁能源游戏规则改变者之一，与气候挑战所需的规模相称。现在是勇敢创新以加速聚变能源的时候了，”尼尔森说。 “仅仅获得正确的技术是不够的。从第一天开始，我们就需要一种包容性的技术开发方法。我们社会的每一部分——尤其是那些被边缘化或弱势群体——在安全、工作和设施选址方面都有发言权，并且有机会获得参与新兴清洁能源行业所需的知识和技能，并从他们的发明。”
能源部长兼峰会共同主持人詹妮弗·格兰霍尔姆强调了美国能源部国家实验室在推进聚变科学和创新方面的技术实力。关于我们现在所处的位置，格兰霍尔姆评论说：“我们相信我们正在取得巨大进步。但融合商业化需要时间。如果聚变成为我所说的清洁能源未来的银弹的一部分，那将是惊人的。”
白宫国家气候顾问吉娜·麦卡锡谈到了拜登-哈里斯政府应对气候变化的方式，例如承诺到2035 年实现100% 无碳电力、在公共土地上开展更多太阳能项目、推出新的美国海上风电产业和美国的电动汽车制造。在聚变峰会上，麦卡锡说：“我很高兴今天能和大家一起参加可能成为另一个美国清洁能源游戏规则改变者的发布会：聚变能源。”麦卡锡指出，我们需要部署现有技术并同时进行创新以开发新的技术，“我们现在处于决定性的十年，我们需要通过部署我们的技术来推进大胆的气候行动。已经拥有，并使美国能够成长为清洁能源创新中心。”
环境质量委员会 (CEQ) 主席布伦达·马洛里 (Brenda Mallory) 强调了 CEQ 作为联邦政府改善、维护和保护美国环境、公共土地和健康工作的协调者的作用。在聚变峰会上，主席马洛里说：“虽然在地球上捕捉聚变能量的力量是一项激动人心的科学，但它给社区带来了希望和暂停。通过努力将环境正义纳入发展的前端，我们有机会确保聚变能源造福所有社区，并且不会重复过去的有害错误。”
国会两党聚变能源核心小组主席国会议员 Don Beyer 和核心小组成员国会议员 Chuck Fleischmann 在峰会上表示支持，并谈到了聚变能源的巨大潜力。在谈到聚变利用来自海水的近乎无限燃料来推进能源独立的机会时，拜尔说：“我们总是担心石油峰值、煤炭峰值和天然气峰值，没有人担心海水峰值。”国会议员拜尔补充说：“我们可以成功地开辟一条通往聚变能的道路。聚变是清洁能源技术的圣杯，聚变有可能使世界上更多的公民摆脱贫困，这比火发明以来的任何事情都要多。” Fleischmann总结道：“我们需要一个两院制的、两党的——事实上，我认为在聚变能方面的努力是无党派的。我们可以共同努力来完成这项工作。”
聚变科学、技术、教育和外展方面的专家在聚变峰会的三个小组中就以下问题发表了讲话：聚变的下一步；多样性、公平性、包容性和可及性；和私营部门的参与。
Fusion Energy 已准备好迈出下一步大胆的步伐
我们从科学家和工程师那里听说，我们已准备好采取下一步措施来加速聚变能。能源部普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室主任史蒂夫考利指出，“2021 年对于聚变来说是惊人的一年”，并详细列出了突破清单——包括第一次“我们看到了聚变燃烧，当时聚变提供了将燃料保持在约1 亿度的能量。”在聚变能源科学界的多年规划过程和美国国家科学院、工程院和医学院的一项研究中，科学家和工程师对加速聚变能的推动结合在一起。参与这些努力的麻省理工学院教授安妮怀特说：“社区已经走到了一起，并以非常有力的声音说我们已经准备好快速推进融合。”
我们还听说，虽然聚变能的关键组成部分似乎已经到位，但还有很多工作要做。能源部劳伦斯利弗莫尔国家实验室主任Kim Budil 表示：“尽管取得了巨大的进步，但仍有大量的研究和开发工作要做。采取下一步措施并不是一个简单的工程问题。因此，将所有这些人聚集在一起至关重要。”考虑到一个大胆的聚变能源十年计划的前景，布迪尔评论说：“这是美国真正繁荣的时刻——有一个非常重要的问题，它需要超视距的科学和技术现在结合在一起，它需要新的需要每个人齐心协力推动这一进程的伙伴关系类型。它需要政府跨机构联合起来进行协调，推动这种创新，并让我们真正感受到这个问题背后的紧迫感。我个人相信这个社区能够应对这一挑战。”
Fusion Energy 从第一天起就具有多样性、包容性、公平性和可及性
我们从环境正义界得知，我们不能重蹈过去的覆辙，在过去，一些社区承受着不成比例的污染负担，无法公平分享新技术带来的好处。非营利性Post Road 基金会主席Seth Hoedl 指出，从现在开始，“要实现这些巨大影响，聚变行业需要关注公众接受度、能源正义、公众参与和公正过渡，以及能源伦理的其他方面。”能源部公平事务秘书顾问兼能源司法副主任Shalanda Baker 问道：“如果我们在这个国家推出的每一项重大技术创新时都这样做会怎样？我们的社会会怎样？如果我们在第一天就将公平和正义纳入对话，那么处于气候变化前线、环境危害和危害前线的社区，他们的生活将有何不同？”威斯康星大学助理教授Stephanie Diem 博士补充说：“我们需要让社区能够自主选择能源，现在就开始了解他们的担忧。”自然资源保护委员会(NRDC) 的Matthew McKinzie 确定了几项早期行动，这些行动将开始为社区和环境倡导者提供需要参与的信息： 聚变燃料循环的健康、安全和环境风险；聚变反应堆的废物产生和废物管理；用水量；和实施《国家环境政策法》。监管将在建立对这项技术安全的信心方面发挥关键作用。核管理委员会已经启动了一系列信息收集会议，用于制定聚变能监管框架。
在整个峰会期间，我们听说我们需要增加聚变能源劳动力的多样性和包容性。这个新兴行业正准备快速发展，现在是投资建立一个看起来像美国的劳动力的时候了。与聚变科学最相关的学术领域——一般物理学，尤其是等离子体物理学——是来自代表性不足群体的人参与度最低的领域之一。迪拉德大学校长教授 Abdalla Darwish 强调了 HBCU 在吸引学生进入该领域方面可以发挥的重要作用——但尽早开始至关重要，甚至在学生进入大学之前。 Amelia Chambliss 是一名即将开始研究核聚变的研究生，她强调了科学交流的重要性，并让学生对核聚变感到兴奋。在描述她如何向年轻学生解释她的职业选择时，她说：“我们正在使用这些非常疯狂的扭曲线圈，它们形成了一个非常强大的磁场，我们正在用它来捕捉恒星的东西。我们正试图利用这些明星产品来解决人类曾经面临的最大问题之一——气候变化……谁不想每天为工作做这件事？”
适合所有人的清洁能源未来
OSTP 能源部副主任 Sally Benson 捕捉到了此次活动的精彩。她谈到了政府如何专注于建立一个清洁能源的未来，创造高薪工作，降低能源费用，并支持通往美国能源独立的道路。本森博士说：“随着气候危机的加速和欧洲的战争肆虐，全球对俄罗斯石油和天然气的依赖变得更加复杂，我们比以往任何时候都更需要创新，以确保我们的能源未来，并停止温室气体的排放.可以装满浴缸的聚变燃料的能量与俄罗斯每天生产的所有石油一样多——大约1000 万桶。”在抓住聚变能带来的机遇时，本森博士说：“几十年后，让我们回首这一刻，在这个房间里，我们再次大胆行动，将不可能变为可能。我们一起大胆行动，让聚变能源、瓶子里的阳光成为现实。”
能源部科学与创新部副部长杰拉尔丁·里士满总结了首届白宫聚变能源峰会，向公共和私营部门发出大胆的行动呼吁，以帮助加快聚变能源的可行性。里士满博士说：“看到总统在这些讨论中提出对能源正义和多样性、公平和包容的承诺，我真的很受鼓舞。正如格兰霍尔姆部长所说，我们有一个独特的机会来建立一个真正代表美国的新能源产业，并充分参与它注定要服务的社区。听到来自未来一代聚变研究人员的消息真是太好了。”里士满副部长最后说：“聚变有望成为未来的清洁能源。这将使我们能够应对气候危机，确保美国的科技领先地位，并有利于我们的经济和国家安全。美国能源部与研究界、私营企业和其他重要利益相关者密切合作，致力于实现这一目标。现在，让我们开始工作吧！”
請參閱下面的完整議程。該活動是現場直播的，可在此處查看。
通過此視頻和白宮情況說明書了解有關聚變能的更多信息。
See the full agenda below here. The event was live streamed and is available to view here.
Learn more about fusion energy with this video and White House Fact Sheet.
白宫融合峰会小组会议的亮点
以下部分提供了峰会小组会议的更多精彩亮点。演讲者的评论摘自完整发表的评论，为了清晰和简洁，做了轻微的编辑。
政府高级领导人概述了机遇和优先事项
研究人员和行业领导者概述了融合的新发展
环境和能源正义领袖概述了新兴融合技术的优先事项
美国融合行业和初创企业领导者概述了这个令人兴奋的行业的下一步行动
现在是加速聚变能源的时候了
政府高级领导人概述了机遇和优先事项
峰会上，来自政府各部门的高级领导人发表了开幕致辞，表明拜登总统致力于采取全政府方式推进清洁能源创新、环境正义、公平和高薪工作。
科技政策办公室主任兼总统副助理 Alondra Nelson 博士谈到了总统对清洁能源科技的承诺以及创新造福所有社区的必要性。尼尔森博士说：“仅仅获得正确的技术是不够的。从第一天开始，我们就需要一种包容性的技术开发方法。我们社会的每一部分——尤其是那些被边缘化或弱势群体——在安全、工作和设施选址方面都有发言权，以及获得参与新兴清洁能源行业所需的知识和技能的机会，并从中受益他们的发明。”尼尔森博士补充说：“我们相信，就聚变而言，时机已经成熟，原因有几个。因为聚变的发现步伐已经加快了很多，七十年的公共资金用于聚变研究导致了近年来的重大科学发展。因为现在私人投资正在追随公共投资首先铺平道路的地方。因为我们在拜登总统中拥有一位领导人，他明确表示我们将在2050 年前实现经济脱碳——气候科学需要这样做。这就是为什么聚变是一套更大的清洁能源游戏规则改变者之一，它将帮助美国实现这一目标——与气候挑战所需的规模相称。我希望我们都可以在十年后回到这里，庆祝我们今天通过这些对话点燃的明星力量。 ”
能源部长詹妮弗·格兰霍尔姆谈到了美国能源部国家实验室在聚变能源创新和科学方面的实力。格兰霍姆部长说：“取得了重大突破。我们开发了加热和控制比太阳中心热十倍的等离子体的技术。但我们也知道我们必须管理期望。融合很难是有原因的。我们必须小心过度承诺，并且要现实。我们相信我们正在取得巨大的进步。但融合商业化需要时间。如果聚变成为我所说的清洁能源未来的银弹的一部分，那将是惊人的。”格兰霍尔姆部长补充说：“我们也知道，不仅仅是我们一个人，世界各国都在呼吁在聚变技术方面取得领先。我们知道，私营部门对聚变的投资正在蓬勃发展，去年达到30 亿美元。我们从教授那里听说，学生们非常兴奋，我们有望创造出下一代科学家的管道。”格兰霍尔姆部长说：“聚变研究、开发和示范的格局正在发生变化，因此我们的战略必须随之转变。这就是为什么我们很高兴能与OSTP一起制定一个大胆的愿景来加速聚变能。美国能源部正在宣布一项全机构范围的聚变计划，以在一个保护伞下协调聚变能源研究，以抓住推动技术发展的机会。我很高兴地宣布，目前领导ARPA-E 聚变能工作的Scott Hsu 博士将成为我们的首席协调员。其次，我们宣布了两项总额为5000 万美元的融资机会，用于基础聚变能源研究，以支持聚变试验工厂的设计。”格兰霍尔姆部长还谈到了聚变劳动力的未来，他说：“我们与OSTP 的努力将不仅仅集中在创新上，而是要建立一个看起来像美国的聚变能源劳动力，这是多样化的，这是公平的，这是包容性，并且我们正在与公众建立对这项技术的信任。安全、安保和开放式沟通将成为这个行业的基础。 ”
白宫国家气候顾问吉娜·麦卡锡谈到了拜登-哈里斯政府在气候变化问题上采取大胆行动的方式，例如承诺到2035 年实现100% 无碳电力、在公共土地上开展更多太阳能项目、启动新的美国海上风电产业，并在美国制造电动汽车。她还谈到了美国如何通过新能源技术和创新引领世界。 NCA McCarthy 说：“我很高兴今天能在这里与大家一起参加可能成为另一个美国清洁能源游戏规则改变者的聚变能源的发布会。聚变能源可能是一种几乎无限的清洁电力和热源，可在我们需要的时间和地点使用。但我们必须正确地做到这一点，这就是为什么从一开始就大量参与广泛的利益相关者的重要性，这样我们才能更好地理解这项技术。我们必须用通俗易懂的语言表达，这样人们才能理解好处和任何风险，并确保我们在每一步都以公平为中心。”她补充说：“我们必须对气候变化采取行动，这样我们的国家才能赢得21 世纪的经济，这就是融合给我们带来的——巨大的机遇和挑战。我们现在处于决定性的十年，我们需要推进大胆的气候行动，既要部署我们已有的技术，又要让美国成长为清洁能源创新中心。”
环境质量委员会 (CEQ) 主席布伦达·马洛里 (Brenda Mallory) 谈到了 CEQ 作为联邦政府改善、维护和保护美国环境、公共土地和健康工作的协调者的作用。马洛里主席说：“虽然在地球上捕获聚变能量是一项激动人心的科学，但它给社区带来了希望和暂停。通过努力将环境正义纳入发展的前端，我们有机会确保聚变能源惠及所有社区，并且不会重复过去的有害错误。拜登总统是第一位在国情咨文中使用“环境正义”一词的总统。在这样做的过程中，他重申了拜登-哈里斯政府的承诺，即把污染负担过重、政府服务不足的社区的利益置于我们环境政策的中心。今天提醒我们，我们也必须将它们置于我们的能源政策中。”马洛里主席补充说：“今天谈论一个您和其他许多人准备创建的全新行业令人兴奋。就在一开始，第一届白宫融合峰会就提出了一个问题，'我们如何确保所有社区都能从我们今天希望推动的转型变革中受益？'”
美国代表兼两党聚变能源核心小组主席唐·拜尔谈到了聚变利用海水燃料促进能源独立的机会，他说：“我们总是担心石油峰值、煤炭峰值和天然气峰值，不人们总是担心海水峰值。”国会议员拜尔补充说：“我们可以成功地开辟一条通往聚变能的道路。聚变是清洁能源技术的圣杯，聚变有可能使世界上更多的公民摆脱贫困，这比火发明以来的任何事情都要多。”国会议员拜尔讨论了为聚变能源提供资金的立法努力，引用了对《未来科学法案》的历史性投资、《综合支出法案》中为聚变提供的资金，以及即将出台的提高美国竞争力的立法。国会议员拜尔补充说：“愤世嫉俗的人经常暗示，几十年来，我们在聚变上花费的钱刚好够，但它从未发生过。本届政府改变了这一点，我们在这里庆祝并表示感谢。我很荣幸能与人类下一次伟大飞跃的先驱们一起来到这里，感谢你们的领导和远见。”
美国代表兼两党聚变能源核心小组成员查克·弗莱施曼谈到了美国能源部国家实验室系统的无与伦比的实力和聚变带来的机遇，他说：“我真的认为未来在聚变中，我们不能忽视这一点。”国会议员Fleischmann 谈到了美国科学家参与国际聚变能源努力带来的最新进展的好处，他说：“ITER 已经在为反应堆规模的聚变工厂提供供应链、法规和构建集成系统方面的实践经验。这对于通往商业聚变能源的道路是无价的。 ITER 核心超导磁体的前两个中央螺线管模块已交付到法国南部的ITER 现场，橡树岭国家实验室的专家为欧洲联合环面项目的新聚变记录背后的诊断技术做出了贡献。到2021 年，该项目能够记录59 兆焦耳的持续聚变能量的产生，是1997 年之前记录的两倍多。橡树岭国家实验室正在建设的材料等离子体暴露实验(MPEX) 将提供扩展的材料科学能力和将能够为材料和组件研究产生与聚变反应堆相关的等离子体条件。”国会议员弗莱施曼补充说：“我们需要一个两院制、两党合作的——事实上，我认为在聚变能源方面的努力是无党派的。我们可以共同努力来完成这项工作。”
研究人员和行业领导者概述了融合的新发展
聚变能——通过结合原子来产生更重的原子——长期以来被认为具有作为安全、丰富、零碳可靠电力的巨大潜力。一旦发展起来，聚变可以使用地球上丰富的材料，如锂和氢作为燃料，并且不会产生长寿命的放射性废物。聚变还可以为制氢、工业供热、碳捕获和海水淡化提供热能和电力的组合来源。
聚变可以提供丰富、可靠、无碳的能源，以推进拜登总统到 2050 年实现净零排放的目标，同时提高能源安全并增强美国的技术竞争优势。商业聚变能源技术有可能彻底改变能源行业，帮助应对气候危机，同时满足美国和世界不断增长的电力需求。
美国能源部首席聚变能源协调员 Scott Hsu 介绍了第一个小组，小组成员就聚变能源的现状和益处发表了自己的看法。
劳伦斯利弗莫尔实验室主任Kim Budil 领导了第一个关于聚变新发展的小组，并说：“聚变能源是我们这个时代的重大科学挑战，需要重大的创新和真正的领导才能实现它。对于融合来说，这是伟大的一年。我们在磁聚变和惯性聚变方面都取得了巨大突破，真正使聚变成为现实。对我来说，多样性对于卓越的创新确实至关重要。我们需要建立一支反映最终将从这项技术中受益的社区的员工队伍。” Budil 博士还谈到了剩余的挑战，他说：“尽管取得了巨大的进步，但仍有大量的研发工作要做。采取下一步措施并不是一个简单的工程问题。因此，将所有这些人聚集在一起至关重要。”她补充说：“这是美国真正繁荣的时刻——有一个非常重要的问题，它现在需要超视距的科学和技术结合起来，它需要新型的伙伴关系，需要每个人齐心协力推动这一进程。向前。它需要政府跨机构联合起来进行协调，推动这种创新，并让我们真正感受到这个问题背后的紧迫感。我个人相信这个社区能够应对这一挑战。”
普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室主任Steven Cowley 谈到了核聚变的最新发展，他说：“2021 年对于核聚变来说是惊人的一年。我认为在融合的历史上我们从未有过这样的一年。 8 月8 日，劳伦斯利弗莫尔国家实验室的国家点火装置的输出功率达到1.3 兆焦耳，而输入的功率不到2 兆焦耳。这是我们第一次看到聚变燃烧，聚变能提供能量来保持燃料在大约1 亿度。而在12 月21 日，英国的Joint European Torus 在5 秒以上的时间内平均达到了超过1000 万瓦的聚变功率。”考利博士谈到了我们如何达到聚变似乎可行的地步，并说：“我们通过能源部的一个项目来到这里，该项目持续了几十年的科学探索，以达到一个点，我认为只有过去10 年真的发生了，我们可以真正预测这些系统的行为，并在能源部运行的那些巨大的计算机上进行计算。” Cowley 博士补充说：“如果我们不选择进行融合，其他人会选择。在中国、欧洲、韩国都有资金充足的项目，做着了不起的事情。我们不希望其他人成为融合的沙特阿拉伯。我们想成为它。”
橡树岭国家实验室聚变和裂变能源与科学副实验室主任 Kathy McCarthy 谈到了聚变基础科学和国际合作的必要性。麦卡锡博士说：“我们准备迈出这一大步并积极转向商业核聚变的另一个原因是，我们通过开始组件制造、交付和组装从为ITER 做准备中获得了知识。法国南部的不同组成部分。”麦卡锡博士补充说：“我们从ITER 组件制造中学到的东西直接用于设计工作，这些工作将继续用于试验工厂和工厂的组装。”在通往聚变能源的道路上，麦卡锡博士描述了解决聚变技术问题的必要性：“例如，我们有信心拥有可用于试点工厂的材料，但我们没有的材料是建造一个实用的商业聚变发电厂。”
麻省理工学院核科学与工程系主任安妮·怀特说：“社区已经走到一起，用异常有力的声音说我们已经准备好为聚变快速行动。有一个全面的社区规划过程导致了一个聚变能源科学咨询委员会，该委员会制定了一项战略计划，不仅仅是为了用技术更快地推动聚变，而是投资于基础科学和基础研究。然后将其输入到国家科学院的报告中，该报告的标题恰如其分，“将Fusion 带入美国电网”。”怀特博士说，“从技术角度来看，私营部门真正的优点在于他们正在考虑的设计是紧凑的。所有这些碎片聚集在一起，所有社区以这些不同的方式聚集在一起，这是一个历史性的机会。”怀特博士补充说：“我们必须更快地推动聚变，这样我们才能影响气候变化，而这样做的一些方法是更有创意地聚在一起，并建立更有创意的伙伴关系。”
迪拉德大学校长教授 Abdalla Darwish 谈到了融合劳动力需要看起来像美国的必要性。 Darwish 博士说：“融合社区面临的挑战之一是缺乏多样性。我在迪拉德大学工作，这是路易斯安那州的一所小型HBCU。我们实际上是该国非裔美国人物理学专业毕业的顶级课程之一。在培养非裔美国女性物理毕业生方面，我们在全国排名第二。” Darwish 博士补充说：“在融合社区，我们需要每个人都参与其中。我们需要工程师、物理学家、化学家，每个人。”关于鼓励该领域的多样性、公平性和包容性，Darwish 博士说：“多样性非常重要，我们必须让每个人都参与进来。每个人都必须成为这个主要工作组的一部分。我们必须尽早开始，实际上是从K-12 开始，并引入这项技术。”
Southern Company 研发副总裁Mark Berry 从电力公司的角度谈到了聚变，他说：“聚变的最佳年份将是您向客户提供聚变能源的一年——清洁、安全和可靠的能源对客户来说，这就是宏伟的愿景。” Berry 先生补充说：“我认为现在是扩大公私合作伙伴关系以包括最终用户的时候了。我们希望成为将这项技术付诸实践的解决方案的一部分。我们越早这样做越好，这样我们就能得到一个稳健且符合我们需求的解决方案。” Berry 先生补充说：“能源公司已经做出了2050 年净零排放的承诺，我们认识到我们需要转型技术来实现这一未来。 2050 年的能源公司可能与2020 年的能源公司大不相同，我们将需要一套多样化的技术来解决我们的具体问题。”
环境和能源正义领袖概述了新兴融合技术的优先事项
在第二个小组中，与会者听取了关于需要从第一天开始就聚变能源的未来进行包容性对话的个人观点。公平和包容是政府能源创新方法的核心，它们对于聚变行业的成功至关重要。
Post Road Foundation 总裁、首席科学官兼联合创始人 Seth Hoedl 主持了第二个小组讨论。他强调说：“聚变研究人员、开发人员和倡导者，就像其他能源创新者一样，认识到聚变等新兴能源有责任满足所有美国人的需求。他们明白，能源不仅仅是技术可行性、经济可行性和法规遵从性。他们明白能源技术的部署方式会产生非常深远的社会影响。因此，聚变行业要实现这些重大影响，需要关注公众接受度、能源正义、公众参与和公正过渡等能源伦理问题。”
能源部公平事务秘书顾问兼能源正义副主任Shalanda Baker 谈到了能源正义的重要性并问道：“如果我们在推出每一项重大技术创新时都这样做会怎样？在这个国家？我们的社会会怎样？如果我们将公平与正义纳入对话的第一天，处于气候变化前线、环境危害和危害前线的社区，他们的生活将有何不同？”关于融合技术是否可以创造恢复性司法，贝克女士说，“作为一名律师，答案是取决于它。只有我们在第一天就积极参与社区活动，才能创造恢复性正义。我们必须从一开始就编织不同的观点。治愈社区的方法有很多，这取决于特定的社区，但我们确实需要这些社区的新工作，我们需要真正的经济发展。”贝克女士补充说：“这确实是一种社会技术转型，这意味着我们正在改变我们的社会，因为我们正在将这些新技术带到网上。是的，我们希望物理学家能够与人交谈，但我们也需要建立跨学科团队，并且有很多社会科学家知道如何与人交谈。”
NRDC 气候与清洁能源项目规划和运营高级总监Matthew McKinzie 谈到了聚变能源社区如何与环境社区互动，并说：“当我考虑聚变和气候变化时，我会考虑投资未来的新选择，本世纪还有很多工作要做，以应对气候变化的威胁。作为一名环保主义者，国家科学院的研究概述了我的试金石，这是一个三步过程。我们现在所处的位置是原理证明，等离子体中的能量增益被证明大于一。下一步将是一个系统能量增益大于1 的试验工厂。最后是同类商业工厂中的第一个。” McKinzie 博士补充说：“重要的是让环境界参与这项设计工作，解决聚变系统常见的问题。”
Amelia Chambliss，哥伦比亚大学即将入学的研究生和前普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室实习生，谈到了环境问题如何激励学生加入聚变社区，并说：“特别是Z 世代，我们看到很多人都非常参与任何事情他们可以帮助减缓气候变化。聚变带来的清洁能源前景让很多年轻人感到非常兴奋，我认为这肯定会迅速改变我们的劳动力。”关于鼓励融合中的新声音，Chambliss 女士补充说：“当他们在本科或更早的时候，我们向代表性不足的社区中的人们介绍融合非常重要。当学生对融合感兴趣时，我们尽可能多地赋予学生权力，这一点也非常重要。研究人员和CEO需要与本科生和新员工交谈，让他们知道，如果他们能够在追求自己真正热爱的事情时尽可能热情地做自己，融合社区将会变得更加强大。” Chambliss 女士讨论了科学传播和让学生对融合感到兴奋的重要性。她将在今年秋天开始一个聚变科学博士课程，但她建议我们不要用深入的技术术语向年轻人描述聚变，而是将其描述为“这些真正疯狂的扭曲线圈，形成了一个非常强大的磁场，而我们”重新使用它来捕获明星的东西。我们正试图利用这些明星产品来解决人类曾经面临的最大问题之一——气候变化。而且我想，如果你说得对，谁不想每天为了工作而这样做呢？ ”
威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校工程物理系助理教授Stephanie Diem 谈到了有意义的社会参与，并说：“在物理和工程领域，我们倾向于采取未经同意解决问题的方法，这造成了伤害。” Diem 博士补充说：“我们的研究人员需要记住，社区是这些情况下的专家，我们将永远是学习者，我们需要授权社区对他们的能源选择拥有自主权，并立即开始了解他们的担忧。”关于扩大参与，Diem 博士说：“我们为使聚变领域更加公平和提供更多机会所做的部分工作是在USfusionenergy.org 网站上，我们为每个进行聚变的机构提供工作岗位，我的意思是工作岗位融合生态系统中需要任何级别培训的各种工作，从高中证书、学士学位到博士学位。”
霍金路伟合伙人兼全球能源业务负责人Amy Roma 谈到了聚变的潜在影响，并表示：“我们正在研究解决社会有史以来面临的最大问题之一，那就是脱碳和气候变化。目前，世界上大部分的电力绝大多数来自化石燃料。在我们必须对现有电力供应进行脱碳的同时，世界上有近10 亿人用不上电。” Roma 女士补充说：“我们在这里拥有巨大的聚变机会，如果它可以清洁、可靠和负担得起，成为应对气候变化的变革性能源，并为近10 亿没有聚变的人提供清洁能源。”现在可以用电了。 ”关于监管框架，Roma 女士说：“美国核管理委员会正处于研究合适的聚变监管框架的早期阶段。他们正在以应有的方式处理它，即研究技术并评估技术，并了解它带来的风险，以了解他们如何调整其监管框架的规模。 ”
美国融合行业和初创企业领导人概述了他们对这个令人兴奋的行业下一步的看法
在第三个小组中，我们听取了一些正在使这一愿景成为现实的公司的领导人的意见。很明显，美国可以从聚变能源中获益良多。美国近 70 年来一直在对聚变研究进行投资，而这一刻提供了一个获得收益的独特机会。我们听说仍然存在许多技术挑战，但使核聚变发电厂成为现实的关键组成部分似乎已经触手可及。美国能源部国家实验室系统和美国大学无与伦比的技术能力，再加上私人创业生态系统，在商业聚变发电竞赛中具有国际优势。在全球 30 多家聚变公司中，三分之二位于美国，大部分私营部门的资金流向了美国公司。
商业融合的市场吸引力也在迅速增长。 2021 年，私营部门在聚变技术开发方面的投资超过 25 亿美元（绝大多数集中在美国聚变公司）。此外，聚变公司现在正在美国建造几个大型实验设施，希望在本世纪末之前为几种不同类型的聚变发电厂展示概念验证。
主持小组讨论的 Prime Movers Lab 首席化学工程师兼合伙人 Carly Anderson 将讨论集中在三个主题上：了解当今技术的现状、参与社区以及积极实现劳动力多元化。安德森博士还表示：“这必须具有竞争力。我们来到这里是因为这里有一个真正创造21 世纪经济的商机。”她补充说：“在过去的二十年里，我们已经看到了几个非常惊人的例子，从人类基因组计划到美国宇航局商业轨道运输服务计划，降低了太空发射的成本。” Anderson 博士谈到了基于里程碑的方法的重要性，以及它如何在这些其他行业中取得成功，以及它如何在融合方面取得成功。
Fusion Industry Association 首席執行官 Andrew Holland 表示：“私營部門的工作不僅僅是文憑，還是安全帽。因此，重要的是要記住，隨著核聚變行業的發展，而且我們將建造更多的東西，我們必須從更廣泛的意義上考慮整個勞動力。”霍蘭德先生補充說：“全球 93% 的聚變公司預計將在 2030 年代或更早看到商業聚變。目前，全國和世界各地的公司都在建造概念驗證機器，以證明核聚變是有效的。我們稱之為“小鷹”時刻。不是你賣飛機的時候，而是飛機飛的時候。然後，他們將迅速轉向製造試點工廠。 2030 年代將是廣泛部署聚變的十年。”
Helion Energy 創始人兼首席執行官 David Kirtley 表示：“我們正在解決的問題極具挑戰性，需要大量創新。對於我們做出的每一個決定，我們都需要匯集不同的想法、來自不同背景、不同教育的人來解決這些問題。” Kirtley 博士補充說：“如果我們真的想要能源安全，那就意味著我們需要解決化石燃料的規模和全球範圍內的能源正義問題。這意味著我們需要能夠將這些技術應用到任何地方。我們最終將需要每天 1 吉瓦才能下線以解決這一挑戰。 Fusion有能力做到這一點。我們知道物理學有能力做到這一點。我們知道工程有能力做到這一點。那麼，我們如何將我們的產品、我們的政府互動和我們的監管互動瞄準這個目標呢？”
Commonwealth Fusion Systems 首席執行官 Bob Mumgaard 談到了聚變能源的未來，他說：“我們正在社區中建造一個新建的聚變設施。混凝土現在正在進入那個社區，我們幾年前就開始與那個社區的每個人交談，並主動走出去，所以他們知道這是關於什麼的，我們想把什麼帶入那個社區。”他補充說：“我們正處於看到一場全新革命的風口浪尖。在未來三年內，有 40 億美元的聚變產業投資將轉化為人和物。我們需要正確地做這件事，為長期做好準備。” Mumgaard 博士談到了現在需要什麼，他說：“我們必須大膽。我們不得不說有一個目標。這就是這種類型的活動真正擅長的。十年後，我們要在全國各地建立引進最新科技的試點工廠。我們知道如何做到這一點，因為我們以前做過，無論是曼哈頓計劃還是阿波羅計劃，或者最近商業空間發生的事情，或者我們在神經科學領域是如何做的。”
Zap Energy 參謀長 AJ Kantor 談到了融合的機會，他說：“這是少數幾個可以真正建立巨石公司的行業之一，我們正在這裡定義一個全新的行業。” Kantor 女士表示：“Fusion 之前做出的承諾並未兌現，因此我們現在真正參與遊戲的公司有責任以與商業相關的速度實際開發技術。因此，我們談論的不僅僅是來自政府的大膽，還有來自設定技術目標的公司的大膽，以及我們為實現這些目標而投入的資源。” Kantor 女士還談到了聚變不僅僅是一種技術，她說：“我們都在技術上採用的方法，都轉化為不同的反應堆類型。這意味著不同的輸出速率、不同大小的反應堆、不同的反應堆成本，並且電網上有許多不同類型的技術可以滿足市場需求。大多數人都將聚變視為一種電源，但聚變是一種能源，它不僅僅是發電——它還產生熱量。所以工業供熱在某些地方可能是進入市場的好地方。”
TAE Technologies 聯合創始人兼首席執行官 Michl Binderbauer 表示：“我們正處於一個令人難以置信的時刻，科學和技術開始迎接挑戰。私營部門帶來的是能夠將其納入我們建造實用發電廠所需的願景和方向。” Binderbauer 博士補充說：“我們不是在談論建立科學項目，而是在談論實際提供能源。這意味著您將不得不構建可靠且經濟高效的應用產品。” Binderbauer 博士補充說：“隨著我們從研究過渡到製造可運行的發電廠，將會發生大量的技術提升，包括我們今天可能甚至不知道的一些事情。我相信我們都會戰勝它，但我們需要共同努力。”
SHINE Technologies 創始人兼首席執行官 Greg Piefer 談到了聚變技術如何在許多不同行業中擁有機會，他說：“我們正在研究具有最高每次反應價值和最高每個中子價值的聚變技術，以建立一個可持續的公司。” Piefer 博士補充說：“我們很幸運多年來一直是能源部合作協議計劃的一部分，我們正在建設世界上最大的醫用同位素生產設施，該設施將使用聚變技術作為一個基礎。該合作協議計劃確實很有幫助，因為它是一個成本匹配計劃，而且您必須能夠說服私人投資者它值得支持。該計劃使我們能夠很好地接觸國家實驗室以及他們在放射化學和核物理方面開發的專業知識，並且結果以開源方式發布，以便每個人都可以使用它們。”
現在是加速聚變能源的時候了
我們站在一個關鍵時刻，有機會從數十年的投資中獲益。聚變是一種潛在的無碳、豐富的清潔能源，將加強美國的領導地位，加強能源安全，並實現持續的能源獨立。兩位高級政府領導人呼籲採取行動結束峰會。
OSTP 能源部副主任 Sally Benson 發表了激動人心的講話。本森博士說：“隨著氣候危機的加速和歐洲的戰爭肆虐，全球對俄羅斯石油和天然氣的依賴變得更加複雜，我們比以往任何時候都更需要創新，以確保我們的能源未來，並停止溫室氣體的排放.可以裝滿浴缸的聚變燃料的能量與俄羅斯每天生產的所有石油一樣多——大約 1000 萬桶。 70 多年來，聚變科學家和工程師一直致力於探索聚變的工作原理和控制方法。正如我們今天所聽到的，我們越來越接近終點線——我們準備採取下一個大膽的步驟。如果我們齊心協力，我們可以沖過終點線。好處是巨大的——一種無排放的電力來源，我們可以在需要的時間和地點打開和關閉它。以及用於清潔工業加工、製造氫氣、淡化水以及我們今天甚至無法想像的事情的熱電聯產來源。所以，幾十年後，讓我們回顧這一刻，在這個房間裡，當我們再次大膽行動，讓不可能成為可能。我們一起大膽行動，讓聚變能源、瓶子裡的陽光成為現實。”
TAE Technologies 聯合創始人兼首席執行官 Michl Binderbauer 表示：“我們正處於一個令人難以置信的時刻，科學和技術開始迎接挑戰。私營部門帶來的是能夠將其納入我們建造實用發電廠所需的願景和方向。” Binderbauer 博士補充說：“我們不是在談論建立科學項目，而是在談論實際提供能源。這意味著您將不得不構建可靠且經濟高效的應用產品。” Binderbauer 博士補充說：“隨著我們從研究過渡到製造可運行的發電廠，將會發生大量的技術提升，包括我們今天可能甚至不知道的一些事情。我相信我們都會戰勝它，但我們需要共同努力。”
SHINE Technologies 創始人兼首席執行官 Greg Piefer 談到了聚變技術如何在許多不同行業中擁有機會，他說：“我們正在研究具有最高每次反應價值和最高每個中子價值的聚變技術，以建立一個可持續的公司。” Piefer 博士補充說：“我們很幸運多年來一直是能源部合作協議計劃的一部分，我們正在建設世界上最大的醫用同位素生產設施，該設施將使用聚變技術作為一個基礎。該合作協議計劃確實很有幫助，因為它是一個成本匹配計劃，而且您必須能夠說服私人投資者它值得支持。該計劃使我們能夠很好地接觸國家實驗室以及他們在放射化學和核物理方面開發的專業知識，並且結果以開源方式發布，以便每個人都可以使用它們。”
现在是加速聚变能源的时候了
我们站在一个关键时刻，有机会从数十年的投资中获益。聚变是一种潜在的无碳、丰富的清洁能源，将加强美国的领导地位，加强能源安全，并实现持续的能源独立。两位高级政府领导人呼吁采取行动结束峰会。
OSTP 能源部副主任 Sally Benson 发表了激动人心的讲话。本森博士说：“随着气候危机的加速和欧洲的战争肆虐，全球对俄罗斯石油和天然气的依赖变得更加复杂，我们比以往任何时候都更需要创新，以确保我们的能源未来，并停止温室气体的排放.可以装满浴缸的聚变燃料的能量与俄罗斯每天生产的所有石油一样多——大约1000 万桶。 70 多年来，聚变科学家和工程师一直致力于探索聚变的工作原理和控制方法。正如我们今天所听到的，我们越来越接近终点线——我们准备采取下一个大胆的步骤。如果我们齐心协力，我们可以冲过终点线。好处是巨大的——一种无排放的电力来源，我们可以在需要的时间和地点打开和关闭它。以及用于清洁工业加工、制造氢气、淡化水以及我们今天甚至无法想像的事情的热电联产来源。所以，几十年后，让我们回顾这一刻，在这个房间里，当我们再次大胆行动，让不可能成为可能。我们一起大胆行动，让聚变能源、瓶子里的阳光成为现实。”
能源部科学与创新部副部长杰拉尔丁·里士满致闭幕词并呼吁采取行动，她说：“看到总统在这些讨论中提出的能源正义和多样性、公平和包容性的承诺，我深受鼓舞。 .正如格兰霍尔姆部长所说，我们有一个独特的机会来建立一个真正代表美国的新能源产业，并充分参与它注定要服务的社区。听到来自未来一代聚变研究人员的消息真是太好了。”里士满副部长谈到了DOE 加速商业聚变能源的计划，他说：“DOE 正在建立一个新的部门范围的跨领域工作，这将整合多个办公室的聚变研发，包括科学办公室、ARPA-E、国家核安全管理局和核能。我们的努力将以2021 年美国国家科学院报告“将聚变带入美国电网”为指导，并借鉴聚变研发界令人难以置信的辛勤工作，最终形成了聚变能源科学咨询委员会的长期计划。我们将继续依靠美国能源部实验室和大学的顶尖科学人才作为未来创意和创新的源泉。在与私营部门的合作中，我们将采取新的紧迫性，以便我们能够找到核聚变行业令人兴奋的发展与美国能源部支持的独特能力之间的协同作用。”里士满副部长最后说：“聚变有望成为未来的清洁能源。这将使我们能够应对气候危机，确保美国的科技领先地位，并有利于我们的经济和国家安全。美国能源部与研究界、私营企业和其他重要利益相关者密切合作，致力于实现这一目标。现在，让我们开始工作吧！”
APRIL 19, 2022
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PRESS RELEASES
Executive Summary
The Biden-Harris Administration is developing a strategy to accelerate fusion energy– a clean energy technology that uses the same reaction that powers the Sun and stars. On March 17, 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) co-hosted the first-ever White House summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy. The hybrid event drew more than 1,200 viewers to witness fusion energy leaders from government, industry, academia, and other stakeholder groups showcase progress made and have inclusive conversations about an updated fusion energy strategy.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced three new initiatives:
Community Engagement: The Biden-Harris Administration will lead the development of a decadal strategy to accelerate the realization of commercial fusion energy that benefits all stakeholders. Future workshops will build on this momentum to further define a clear path to success.
Department of Energy Agency-Wide Fusion Initiative: DOE launched an agency-wide initiative to accelerate the viability of commercial fusion energy in coordination with the private sector. Dr. Scott Hsu, head of the fusion program at ARPA-E, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, was announced as the new DOE Lead Fusion Energy Coordinator and joins the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation.
Funding to Advance the Science for a Fusion Pilot Plant: DOE announced two funding opportunities totaling $50 million that will support foundational science and technology research connected to high-priority issues for a future fusion pilot plant, including plasma modeling, interactions, and control.
Broad Support for Accelerating Fusion Energy
Alondra Nelson, head of OSTP and Deputy Assistant to the President, and co-host of the event, opened the Summit by conveying the President’s commitment to clean energy science and technology, and the need for innovation to benefit all communities. “Fusion is one of a much larger suite of clean energy gamechangers that [are] commensurate with the scale that the climate challenge requires. Now is the time for courageous innovation to accelerate fusion energy,” said Nelson. “It’s not enough to just get the technology right. From day one, we need an inclusive approach for technology development. Where every part of our society – especially those who are marginalized or vulnerable – have a say about safety, jobs, and facility siting, as well as the opportunity to get the knowledge and skills needed to participate in emerging clean energy industries and benefit from their inventions.”
Jennifer Granholm, the Secretary of Energy and summit co-host, highlighted the technical strength of the DOE National Laboratories to advance fusion science and innovation. On where we are now, Granholm commented, “We believe we are making great progress. But it’s going to take time to get fusion commercialized. It would be amazing if fusion were a part of what I call the silver buckshot of a clean energy future.”
Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor, spoke about the ways the Biden-Harris Administration is addressing climate change, such as a commitment to get to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035, more solar projects on public lands, the launch of a new American offshore wind industry, and electric vehicle manufacturing here in America. On the Fusion Summit, McCarthy said, “I’m glad to be here with you all today at the launch of what could become another American clean energy game changer: fusion energy.” Making the case that we need to deploy currently available technologies and innovate to develop new ones at the same time, McCarthy said, “We are in a decisive decade right now, and we need to advance bold climate action, both by deploying the technologies we already have, and enabling America to grow as a clean energy innovation hub.”
Brenda Mallory, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), highlighted CEQ’s role as coordinator of the federal government’s efforts to improve, preserve, and protect America’s environment, public lands, and health. On the Fusion Summit, Chair Mallory said, “While capturing the power of fusion energy here on Earth is thrilling science, it presents both promise and pause to the communities. By working to integrate environmental justice on the front end of development, we have a chance to ensure fusion energy benefits all communities and does not repeat harmful mistakes of the past.”
Congress’ bipartisan Fusion Energy Caucus Chair Congressman Don Beyer and Caucus member Congressman Chuck Fleischmann added their support at the Summit, talking about the enormous potential of fusion energy. On the opportunity for fusion to advance energy independence with near-limitless fuel derived from seawater, Beyer said, “We always worry about peak oil, and peak coal, and peak natural gas, no one ever worries about peak seawater.” Congressman Beyer added, “We can successfully forge a path to fusion energy. Fusion is the holy grail of clean energy technologies, and fusion has the potential to lift more citizens of the world out of poverty than anything since the invention of fire.” Fleischmann wrapped up with “We need a bicameral, bipartisan–in fact, I would argue non-partisan–effort on fusion energy. We can work together to get this done.”
Experts in fusion science, technology, education, and outreach spoke across three panels at the Fusion Summit on: next steps for fusion; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; and private sector engagement.
Fusion Energy is Ready for the Next Bold Steps
We heard from scientists and engineers that we are ready to take the next steps to accelerate fusion energy. Steve Cowley, Director of the Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, noted “2021 was an amazing year for fusion,” and detailed the list of breakthroughs –including the first time “where we got to see a fusion burn, when fusion provided the energy to keep the fuel at about 100 million degrees.” The push to accelerate fusion energy by scientists and engineers coalesced during a multi-year planning process by the fusion energy sciences community and a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. MIT Professor Anne White, a participant in these efforts, said, “The community has come together and spoken with an extraordinarily powerful voice to say we are ready to move fast for fusion.”
We also heard that while the critical building blocks for fusion power appear to be in place, there is much more work to do. Kim Budil, Director of the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory stated: “Even though there have been tremendous advances, there is work that remains, with significant research and development. It’s not a simple engineering problem to take this next step. So, bringing all these people together will be critically important.” Considering the prospects for a bold decadal plan for fusion energy, Budil commented, “These are the moments when the U.S. really thrives—there’s a really important problem, it requires over-the-horizon science and technology to come together now, it requires new types of partnerships that require everyone to pull together to drive this forward. It requires the government to come together across agencies to coordinate, to drive this innovation and to give us a real sense of urgency behind this problem. I am personally confident this community can meet this challenge.”
Fusion Energy is Diverse, Inclusive, Equitable, and Accessible from Day One
We heard from the environmental justice community that we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past, where some communities are disproportionately burdened by pollution and don’t share equitably in the benefits of new technologies. Seth Hoedl, President of the non-profit Post Road Foundation, made the point that starting now, “The fusion industry, to achieve these great impacts, will need to pay attention to public acceptance, energy justice, public engagement, and the just transition, and other aspects of energy ethics.” Shalanda Baker, Secretarial Advisor on Equity and Deputy Director for Energy Justice at the Department of Energy, asked, “What if we’d done this at the launch of every major technological innovation that we’ve had in this country? How just would our society be? How would communities on the frontlines of climate change, the frontlines of environmental hazards and harms, how would their lives be different had we integrated equity and justice into the conversation on day one?” Dr. Stephanie Diem, an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin added, “we need to empower communities to have ownership in their energy choices, and start understanding their concerns now.” Matthew McKinzie of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) identified several early actions that will begin to provide the information communities and environmental advocates will need to engage on: health, safety, and environmental risks of the fusion fuel cycle; waste generation and waste management from fusion reactors; water consumption; and implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act. Regulation will play a critical role in building confidence that this technology can be safe. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has started a set of information-gathering sessions to be used in developing a regulatory framework for fusion energy.
Throughout the Summit, we heard that we need to increase diversity and inclusion in the fusion energy workforce. This nascent industry is poised to grow rapidly, and now is the time to invest in building a workforce that looks like America. The academic fields most relevant to fusion science – physics in general and plasma physics in particular – suffer from among the lowest participation of people from underrepresented groups. Abdalla Darwish, a Presidential Professor at Dillard University, highlighted the important role that HBCUs can play in attracting students to the field – but that it is crucial to begin early, even before students enter college. Amelia Chambliss, a student about to begin graduate studies in fusion, stressed the importance of science communication and getting students excited about fusion. Describing how she explains her career choice to younger students, she said, “We’re taking these really crazy twisted coils that form a really strong magnetic field, and we’re using that to trap star stuff. And we are trying to use that star stuff to solve one of the greatest problems that humanity has ever faced—climate change… Who doesn’t want to do that for work every day?”
A Clean Energy Future that Works for Everyone
Sally Benson, Deputy Director for Energy at OSTP, captured the excitement of the event. She remarked on how the Administration is focused on building a clean energy future that creates good-paying jobs, lowers energy bills, and supports a path toward U.S. energy independence. Dr. Benson said, “With an accelerating climate crisis, and a war raging in Europe, made more complicated by global dependence on Russian oil and gas, we need innovation more than ever, to secure our energy future, and stop emission of greenhouse gases. The amount of fusion fuel that could fill a bathtub holds as much energy as all the oil Russia produces each day – about 10 million barrels.” On seizing the opportunity presented by fusion energy, Dr. Benson said, “Decades from now, let’s look back at this moment, in this room, when we acted boldly again, to make the impossible possible. We acted boldly together, to make fusion energy, sunlight in a bottle, a reality.”
Geraldine Richmond, Under Secretary for Science and Innovation at the Department of Energy, summarized the first-ever White House summit on fusion energy by issuing a bold call to action to the public and private sectors to help accelerate fusion energy to viability. Dr. Richmond said, “I am truly inspired to see the President’s commitment to energy justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion presented in these discussions. As Secretary Granholm said, we have a unique opportunity to build a new energy industry that’s truly representative of America and fully engages the communities it’s destined to serve. And it’s so wonderful to hear from the future generation of fusion researchers.” Under Secretary Richmond closed by saying, “Fusion promises to be a clean source of energy for the future. It will enable us to address our climate crisis, ensure U.S. science and technology leadership, and benefit our economy and national security. And we at DOE are here to make this happen in close partnership with the research community, private industry, and other important stakeholders. And now, let’s get to work!”
See the full agenda below here. The event was live streamed and is available to view here.
Learn more about fusion energy with this video and White House Fact Sheet.
Highlights from the White House Fusion Summit Panel Sessions
The sections below provide some more of the exciting highlights of the Summit panel sessions. The speaker remarks have been excerpted from the full delivered remarks, and lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Senior Governmental Leaders Outlined Opportunities and Priorities
Researchers and Industry Leaders Outlined New Developments in Fusion
Environmental and Energy Justice Leaders Outlined Priorities for Emerging Fusion Technology
U.S. Fusion Industry and Startup Leaders Outlined Next Steps for This Exciting Industry
Now Is the Time to Accelerate Fusion Energy
Senior Governmental Leaders Outlined Opportunities and Priorities
The summit featured opening remarks from senior leaders from across the government, demonstrating President Biden’s commitment to a whole-of-government approach to advancing clean energy innovation, environmental justice, equity, and good-paying jobs.
Dr. Alondra Nelson, Head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy & Deputy Assistant to the President, spoke about the President’s commitment to clean energy science and technology and the need for innovation to benefit all communities. Dr. Nelson said, “It’s not enough to just get the technology right. From day one, we need an inclusive approach for technology development. Where every part of our society – especially those who are marginalized or vulnerable – have a say about safety, jobs, and facility siting, as well as the opportunity to get the knowledge and skills needed to participate in emerging clean energy industries, and benefit from their inventions.” Dr. Nelson added, “we believe that when it comes to fusion, the time is now, for several reasons. Because the pace of discovery has accelerated so much for fusion, with seven decades of public funding for fusion research leading to major recent scientific developments in recent years. Because private investment is now following where public investment first paved the way. Because we have in President Biden a leader who’s been clear that we will decarbonize our economy by 2050 – the climate science demands it. That’s why fusion is one of a much larger suite of clean energy game changers that will help America reach that goal – commensurate with the scale that the climate challenge requires. I hope we can all be back here a decade from now to celebrate the star-power we have ignited with these conversations today.”
Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy, spoke about the strength of the DOE National Laboratories in fusion energy innovation and science. Secretary Granholm said, “There have been significant breakthroughs delivered. We’ve developed technologies to heat and control plasmas that are ten times hotter than the center of the sun. But we also know we have to manage expectations. There’s a reason why fusion is hard. We have to be careful about overpromising, and be realistic. We believe we are making great progress. But it’s going to take time to get fusion commercialized. It would be amazing if fusion were a part of what I call the silver buckshot of a clean energy future.” Secretary Granholm added, “We also know that it’s not just us alone, countries around the world are clamoring to get ahead on fusion technology. We know that private sector investment in fusion is booming, at $3 billion last year. And we heard from professors that students are very excited, and we can hopefully create a pipeline of the next generation of scientists.” Secretary Granholm said, “the landscape for fusion research, development, and demonstration is shifting, and so our strategy has to shift with it. That’s why we are excited to join with OSTP to craft a bold vision to accelerate fusion energy. DOE is announcing an agency-wide fusion initiative to coordinate fusion energy research under one umbrella, to seize the opportunity to advance the technology. I’m excited to announce that Dr. Scott Hsu, who presently leads ARPA-E’s fusion energy effort, will be our Lead Coordinator. Second, we are announcing two funding opportunities totaling $50 million for basic fusion energy research that will support the designing of a fusion pilot plant.” Secretary Granholm also spoke about the future of the fusion workforce, saying, “Our efforts with OSTP is going to be focused on more than just innovation, it’s about building out a fusion energy workforce that looks like America, that’s diverse, that’s equitable, that’s inclusive, and that we are establishing trust in this technology with the public. Safety, security, and open communication are going to be the foundation of this industry.”
Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor, spoke about the ways the Biden-Harris Administration is taking bold actions on climate change, such as a commitment to get to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035, more solar projects on public lands, the launch of a new American offshore wind industry, and electric vehicle manufacturing here in America. She also spoke about how America can lead the world with new energy technologies and innovation. NCA McCarthy said, “I’m glad to be here with you all today at the launch of what could become another American clean energy game changer, fusion energy. Fusion energy could be a virtually limitless source of clean electricity and heat, available when and where we need it. But we have to do this right, and that’s why it’s important to heavily engage a broad set of stakeholders from the very beginning, so we can better understand the technology. We have to articulate in plain language so people can understand the benefits and any risks, and make sure we center equity every step of the way.” She added, “We have to act on climate change, so our country can win the 21st century economy, and that’s what fusion presents us with—tremendous opportunities as well as challenges. We are in a decisive decade right now, and we need to advance bold climate action, both by deploying the technologies we already have, and enabling America to grow as a clean energy innovation hub.”
Brenda Mallory, the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), spoke about CEQ’s role as coordinator of the federal government’s efforts to improve, preserve, and protect America’s environment, public lands, and health. Chair Mallory said, “While capturing the power of fusion energy here on Earth is thrilling science, it presents both promise and pause to the communities. By working to integrate environmental justice on the front end of development, we have a chance to ensure fusion energy benefits all communities and does not repeat harmful mistakes of the past. President Biden was the first president to use the words ‘environmental justice’ in a State of the Union address. In doing so, he reaffirmed the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to put the interests of communities that are overburdened by pollution and underserved by their government at the center of our environmental policy. Today is a reminder that we must center them in our energy policy as well.” Chair Mallory added, “It’s exciting today to talk about a whole new industry that you and so many others are poised to create. And right at the beginning, the very first White House Fusion Summit asks the question, ‘How can we ensure all communities can benefit from the transformational change we hope to spur along today?’”
Don Beyer, U.S. Representative and Chair of the bipartisan Fusion Energy Caucus, spoke of the opportunity for fusion to advance energy independence with fuel derived from seawater, saying, “We always worry about peak oil, and peak coal, and peak natural gas, no one ever worries about peak seawater.” Congressman Beyer added, “We can successfully forge a path to fusion energy. Fusion is the holy grail of clean energy technologies, and fusion has the potential to lift more citizens of the world out of poverty, than anything since the invention of fire.” Congressman Beyer discussed the legislative efforts for funding for fusion energy, citing the historic investments in the Science for the Future Act, funding for fusion secured in the Omnibus Spending Act, and forthcoming legislation to advance American competitiveness. Congressman Beyer added, “Cynics have often suggested that over the decades that we’ve spent just enough money on fusion that it never happens. This Administration has changed that, and we’re here to celebrate that and be thankful. I’m honored to be here with the pioneers of the next great leap for humanity, thank you for your leadership and vision.”
Chuck Fleischmann, U.S. Representative and Member of the bipartisan Fusion Energy Caucus, spoke of the unparalleled strength of the DOE national laboratory system and the opportunity fusion presents, saying, “I really think the future is in fusion, and we can’t overlook this.” Congressman Fleischmann spoke about the benefits of U.S. scientists participating in international fusion energy efforts leading to recent advances, saying, “ITER is already delivering practical experience with supply chains, regulations, and building integration systems for a reactor-scale fusion plant. This is invaluable for a path to commercial fusion energy. The first two central solenoid modules for the superconducting magnet at the heart of ITER were delivered to the ITER site in southern France, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory experts contributed to diagnostic technology behind the new fusion record at the Joint European Torus project. In 2021, this project was able to document the generation of 59 megajoules of sustained fusion power, more than doubling the previous record from 1997. The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will deliver expanded material science capabilities and will be capable of producing fusion reactor-relevant plasma conditions for materials and components study.” Congressman Fleischmann added, “We need a bicameral, bipartisan–in fact, I would argue non-partisan–effort on fusion energy. We can work together to get this done.”
Researchers and Industry Leaders Outlined New Developments in Fusion
Fusion energy – produced by combining atoms to create heavier ones – has long been recognized to have great potential as a safe, abundant, zero-carbon source of reliable electricity. Once developed, fusion could use earth-abundant materials such as lithium and hydrogen as fuel and create no long-lived radioactive waste. Fusion can also provide a combined source of thermal energy and electricity for hydrogen production, industrial heat, carbon capture, and desalination.
Fusion could provide abundant, reliable, carbon-free energy to advance President Biden’s goal to get to net-zero emissions by 2050, while increasing energy security and enhancing America’s technological competitive edge. Commercial fusion energy technology has the potential to revolutionize the energy industry, helping combat the climate crisis while meeting the growing electricity needs of the U.S. and the world.
Scott Hsu, DOE Lead Fusion Energy Coordinator, introduced the first panel, during which panelists offered their views on the status and benefits of fusion energy.
Kim Budil, Director of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory led the first panel about new developments in fusion, and said, “Fusion energy is the grand scientific challenge of our time, and it’s going to require significant innovation and real leadership to realize it. It has been a great year for fusion. We’ve had enormous breakthroughs in both magnetic fusion and inertial fusion that really make fusion realistic. For me, diversity is really essential to excellence in innovation. We need to build a workforce that reflects the communities that will ultimately benefit from this technology.” Dr. Budil also spoke about the remaining challenges, saying, “Even though there have been tremendous advances, there is work that remains, with significant R&D. It’s not a simple engineering problem to take this next step. So, bringing all these people together will be critically important.” She added, “These are the moments when the U.S. really thrives—there’s a really important problem, it requires over-the-horizon science and technology to come together now, it requires new types of partnerships that require everyone to pull together to drive this forward. It requires the government to come together across agencies to coordinate, to drive this innovation and to give us a real sense of urgency behind this problem. I am personally confident this community can meet this challenge.”
Steven Cowley, Director, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, spoke about the recent developments in fusion, saying “2021 was an amazing year for fusion. I don’t think we have had a year like this ever in the history of fusion. On August 8th, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reached 1.3 megajoules of output, with just under 2 megajoules going in. It was the first time where we got to see a fusion burn, when fusion energy provides the energy to keep the fuel at about 100 million degrees. And on the 21st of December, the Joint European Torus in the UK reached an average of over 10 million watts of fusion power for more than 5 seconds.” Dr. Cowley talked about how we got to a point where fusion appeared doable, and said, “We got here through a program at the Department of Energy that has sustained the scientific inquiry over decades to get to a point, which I think has only really happened in the last 10 years, where we can really predict the behavior of these systems and calculate it on those enormous computers that the Department of Energy runs.” Dr. Cowley added, “If we don’t choose to do fusion, somebody else will. There are very well-funded programs in China, in Europe, in Korea, doing marvelous things. We don’t want somebody else to be the Saudi Arabia of fusion. We want to be it.”
Kathy McCarthy, Associate Laboratory Director for Fusion and Fission Energy and Science, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, spoke about the necessity of basic science and international collaborations for fusion. Dr. McCarthy said, “Another one of the reasons why we’re ready to take this big step and move aggressively to commercial fusion is the knowledge that we’ve gained from preparing for ITER through starting the component fabrication, the delivery, the assembly of the different components in southern France.” Dr. McCarthy added, “What we’re learning from the component fabrication for ITER feeds directly into the design work that will go on for a pilot plant and assembly of the plant.” On the path to fusion energy, Dr. McCarthy described the need to address fusion technology issues: “For example, we are confident that we have the materials that could be used for a pilot plant, but what we do not have are the materials to make a practical commercial fusion power plant.”
Anne White, Chair of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT, stated, “The community has come together and spoken with an extraordinarily powerful voice to say we are ready to move fast for fusion. There was a comprehensive community planning process that led into a Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee that laid out a strategic plan, not just for what it takes to push fusion faster with technology, but to invest in the basic science and the basic research. This then fed into a National Academies report aptly titled, ‘Bringing Fusion to the U.S. Grid.’” Dr. White said, “From a technical perspective, what’s really neat about the private sector is that the designs they are thinking about are compact. And all these pieces coming together, all of the community coming together in these different ways, it’s a historical opportunity.” Dr. White added, “We’ve got to push fusion faster so we can impact climate change, and some ways of doing that are getting together more creatively and having more creative partnerships.”
Abdalla Darwish, Presidential Professor at Dillard University, spoke about the need for the fusion workforce to look like America. Dr. Darwish said, “One of the challenges in the fusion community is the lack of diversity. I work at Dillard University, it’s a small HBCU in Louisiana. We are actually one of the top programs graduating African Americans in physics in the country. We are number two in the country in producing African American female physics graduates.” Dr. Darwish added, “In the fusion community, we need everyone to participate. We need engineers, physicists, chemists, everybody.” On encouraging diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field, Dr. Darwish said, “Diversity is so important, we have to bring everyone to the table. Everyone has to be a part of this major task force. We have to start early, actually from K-12, and introduce this technology.”
Mark Berry, Vice President, Research and Development at Southern Company, spoke about fusion from an electric utility perspective, saying, “The best year for fusion will be the year when you are providing fusion energy to customers–clean, safe, and reliable energy to customers, that is the grand vision.” Mr. Berry added, “I think now is the time to expand the public-private partnerships to include the end-users. We want to be part of the solution to bring this technology to bear. The sooner we do that, the better, so that we get a solution that is robust and fits our needs.” Mr. Berry added, “Energy companies have made net-zero 2050 commitments, and we recognize that we need transformational technologies to bring that future to bear. The 2050 energy company is likely to be very different than the 2020 energy company, and we are going to need a diverse set of technologies to solve our specific problems.”
Environmental and Energy Justice Leaders Outlined Priorities for Emerging Fusion Technology
In the second panel, the participants heard individual viewpoints on the need to have an inclusive conversation about the future of fusion energy from day one. Equity and inclusion are central to the Administration’s approach to energy innovation, and they are critical for the success of the fusion industry.
Seth Hoedl, President, Chief Science Officer, & Co-Founder of the Post Road Foundation, moderated the second panel. He highlighted that “Fusion researchers, developers, and advocates, just like other energy innovators, recognize that emerging energy sources like fusion have a responsibility to meet the needs of all Americans. They understand that there’s more to energy than technical viability, economic viability, and regulatory compliance. And they understand that the way in which energy technologies are deployed can have really profound societal implications. So, the fusion industry, to achieve these great impacts, will need to pay attention to public acceptance, energy justice, public engagement, and the just transition, and other aspects of energy ethics.”
Shalanda Baker, Secretarial Advisor on Equity and Deputy Director for Energy Justice at the Department of Energy, talked about the importance of energy justice and asked, “What if we’d done this at the launch of every major technological innovation that we’ve had in this country? How just would our society be? How would communities on the frontlines of climate change, the frontlines of environmental hazards and harms, how would their lives be different had we integrated equity & justice into the conversation day one?” On whether fusion technology can create restorative justice, Ms. Baker said, “The answer, as a lawyer, is that it depends. It only can create restorative justice if we’re actively engaging communities on day one. We’ve got to weave in diverse perspectives from the beginning. There are so many ways to heal communities, and it depends on that specific community, but we do need new jobs in those communities, and we need genuine authentic economic development.” Ms. Baker added, “This is really a socio-technical transition, that means we’re transforming our society as we’re bringing these new technologies online. Yes, we want physicists to be able to talk to people, but we also need to build interdisciplinary teams, and there are plenty of social scientists who know how to talk with people.”
Matthew McKinzie, Senior Director, Planning and Operations, Climate & Clean Energy Program at NRDC, spoke about how the fusion energy community can engage with the environmental community, and said, “When I think about fusion and climate change, I think about investing in new options for the future, and a lot has to be done over this century to address the threats of climate change. As an environmentalist, a touchstone for me was outlined in the National Academies study and is a three-step process. Where we are now, is a proof of principle, where the energy gain in the plasma is demonstrated to be greater than one. The next step would be a pilot plant for system energy gain greater than one. And then finally a first of a kind commercial plant.” Dr. McKinzie added, “It’s important to engage the environmental community in this design work, on the issues that are generic to fusion systems.”
Amelia Chambliss, incoming graduate student at Columbia University and former Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Intern, talked about how environmental issues motivate students to join the fusion community, and said, “Particularly Gen Z, we see a lot of folks who are very involved in anything they can do to help in the mitigation of climate change. The prospect for clean energy that fusion poses is really exciting to a lot of young people, and I think it’s definitely going to change our workforce very rapidly.” On encouraging new voices in fusion, Ms. Chambliss added, “It’s really critical that we introduce folks in underrepresented communities to fusion when they’re in undergrad or earlier. It’s also really critical that we empower students as much as we can when they do become interested in fusion. Researchers and CEOs need to talk to undergraduates and new hires and let them know that the fusion community will be so much stronger if they can be themselves as passionately as possible, while they pursue something that they really love.” Ms. Chambliss discussed the importance of science communication and getting students excited about fusion. She will be starting a PhD program in fusion science this fall, but proposed that instead of describing fusion to young people in deep technical terms, we described it as, “These really crazy twisted coils that form a really strong magnetic field, and we’re using that to trap star stuff. And we are trying to use that star stuff to solve one of the greatest problems that humanity has ever faced—climate change. And I think if you say it the right way, who doesn’t want to do that for work every day?”
Stephanie Diem, Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, talked about meaningful engagement with society, and said, “In the field of physics and engineering, we have tended to take the approach of fixing problems without consent, and this has caused harm.” Dr. Diem added, “We researchers need to remember that communities are the experts in these cases, and we will always be the learners, and we need to empower communities to have ownership in their energy choices and start understanding their concerns now.” On broadening participation, Dr. Diem said, “Part of what we did to make the fusion field more equitable and provide more opportunities is on the USfusionenergy.org website, we house jobs from every institution that does fusion, and by jobs, I mean every kind of job in the fusion ecosystem that requires any level of training, from high school certificates, bachelor’s, to PhDs.”
Amy Roma, Partner and Global Energy Practice Leader at Hogan Lovells, talked about the potential impact of fusion and said, “We’re looking at one of the biggest problem-solving challenges that society has ever faced, and that’s decarbonization and climate change. Currently the majority of power around the world is generated overwhelmingly from fossil fuels. At the same time where we have to decarbonize the existing power supply that we have, there are nearly a billion people in the world that don’t have access to electricity.” Ms. Roma added, “We have a huge opportunity here with fusion, if it can be clean, reliable, and affordable, to be a transformative energy source to combat climate change and provide clean energy to the nearly one billion people who don’t have access to electricity right now.” On the regulatory framework, Ms. Roma said, “The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is at the early stages of looking at the appropriate regulatory framework for fusion. And they’re approaching it the way they should be, which is looking at the technology and assessing the technology, and getting an appreciation for the risks that it introduces to see how they could right-size their regulatory framework.”
U.S. Fusion Industry and Startup Leaders Outlined Their Views on the Next Steps for This Exciting Industry
In the third panel, we heard from the leaders of some of the companies that are making this vision a reality. It is clear that the U.S. has so much to gain from fusion energy. The U.S. has been investing in fusion research for nearly 70 years, and this moment presents a unique opportunity to reap the benefits. We heard there are many technical challenges remaining, but the critical building blocks for making a fusion power plant a reality appear to be in reach. The unparalleled technical abilities of the DOE national laboratory system and U.S. universities, coupled with the private start-up ecosystem, give an international advantage in the race for commercial fusion power. Of the more than 30 fusion companies in the world, two-thirds are based in the U.S., and the majority of private sector funding has gone to U.S. companies.
The market pull for commercial fusion is also growing rapidly. In 2021, the private sector invested over $2.5 billion in fusion technology development (with the overwhelming majority focused on U.S. fusion companies). Further, fusion companies are now building several large experimental facilities in the U.S., with the aspiration of demonstrating a proof-of-concept for several different types of fusion power plants before the end of the decade.
Carly Anderson, Principal Chemical Engineer and Partner at Prime Movers Lab, who moderated the panel, focused the discussion on three topics: knowing where the technology stands today, engaging in the community, and being proactive in diversifying the workforce. Dr. Anderson also stated “This has to be competitive. We’re here because there is a business opportunity here to really create the economy of the 21st century.” She added, “We’ve seen several really amazing examples in the last two decades, from the Human Genome Project to the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program bringing down the cost of space launches.” Dr. Anderson talked about the importance of a milestone-based approach and how it was successful in these other industries, and how it can be successful for fusion.
Andrew Holland, Chief Executive Officer of the Fusion Industry Association, said, “Private sector jobs are not just diplomas, it’s hard hats. So, it’s important to remember that as the fusion industry builds things, and we will be building things a lot more, we have to think about the whole workforce in a broader sense.” Mr. Holland added, “93 percent of the fusion companies around the world expect to see commercial fusion in the 2030s or before. Right now, companies around the country and around the world are building proof-of-concept machines that will show that fusion works. We call this our ‘Kitty Hawk’ moment. Not the time when you sell the airplane, but the time when the airplane flies. And then, they’re going to rapidly move to making pilot plants. The 2030s will be the decade of broad fusion deployment.”
David Kirtley, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Helion Energy, stated, “The problem we are solving is tremendously challenging and requires an enormous amount of innovation. For every decision we’re making, we need to bring together different ideas, people from different backgrounds, different educations, to solve those problems.” Dr. Kirtley added, “If we really want energy security, that means we need to be tackling the scale of fossil fuels and worldwide scale of energy justice. This means we need to be able to put these technologies everywhere. We will eventually need a gigawatt a day to come off the assembly line to solve this challenge. Fusion is capable of it. We know the physics is capable of it. We know the engineering is capable of it. So how do we aim our products, our governmental interactions, and our regulatory interactions, towards that goal?”
Bob Mumgaard, Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, spoke about the future of fusion energy, saying, “We are building a greenfield fusion facility in a community. Concrete is going in right now in that community, where we started years ago talking to everybody in that community, and going out proactively, so they knew what this was about, what we wanted to bring into that community.” He added, “We’re at the cusp of seeing a whole new revolution. There’s $4 billion in fusion industry investments that is going to turn into people and things, in the next three years. And we need to do this right, to set this up for the long-term.” Dr. Mumgaard talked about what’s needed now, saying, “We have to be bold. We have to say there’s an objective to go to. That’s what this type of an event is really good at. In ten years, we should put pilot plants all over the country that incorporate the latest science and technology. We know how to do this because we’ve done this before, whether with the Manhattan Project or Apollo, or with what’s happened with commercial space recently or how we’ve done things in neuroscience.”
AJ Kantor, Chief of Staff for Zap Energy, talked about the opportunities in fusion, saying, “This is one of the few industries where you can really build megalithic companies, and we’re defining an entirely new industry here.” Ms. Kantor stated “Fusion has made promises before that have not been kept, so it’s our responsibility in the companies that are really in the game right now, to actually develop technology at a rate that’s commercially pertinent. So, we’re talking about boldness not just from the government, but boldness from companies who are setting technical goals and the resources we are putting behind meeting those goals.” Ms. Kantor also talked about how fusion isn’t just one type of technology, saying, “The approaches that we are all taking technically, all translate into different reactor types. That means different output rates, different sized reactors, different costs of reactors, and there’s a place for many different types of technologies on the grid to meet market needs. Most folks are thinking about fusion as an electricity source, but fusion is an energy source, it does more than generate electricity – it generates heat. So industrial heat may be a good place to enter the market in some places.”
Michl Binderbauer, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, TAE Technologies, stated, “We’re at an incredible point where the science and the technology are starting to meet up with the challenge. What the private sector is bringing is the ability to take that into the vision and direction we need to make a practical power plant.” Dr. Binderbauer added, “We’re not talking about building science projects, we’re talking about actually delivering energy. And that means you’re going to have to build applied things that will work reliably and cost-effectively.” Dr. Binderbauer added, “As we transition from research to making a power plant that runs, there’s an enormous wealth of technological lift that’s going to have to happen, including some things we probably don’t even know today. I believe we will all conquer this, but we need to work together.”
Greg Piefer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SHINE Technologies, talked about how fusion technology has opportunities in many different industries, saying “We’re looking at fusion technologies that have the highest value per reaction and highest value per neutron initially to build a sustainable company.” Dr. Piefer added, “We’ve been lucky to have been a part of the Department of Energy’s cooperative agreement program for many years, and we’re building what will be the largest medical isotope production facility in the world, which will use fusion as an underpinning. That cooperative agreement program has been really helpful because it’s a cost-matching program, and you’ve got to be able to convince private investors that it’s worth supporting. The program has provided us very good access to the national laboratories and the expertise they’ve developed in radio chemistry and nuclear physics, and the results are published in an open-source way, so that everyone can use them.”
Now Is the Time to Accelerate Fusion Energy
We stand at a juncture with an opportunity to reap the benefits of decades of investments. Fusion is a potential carbon-free, abundant source of clean energy that will bolster American leadership, strengthen energy security, and enable sustained energy independence. Two senior Administration leaders closed the summit with a call to action.
Sally Benson, Deputy Director for Energy at OSTP, provided remarks that captured the excitement of the event. Dr. Benson said, “With an accelerating climate crisis, and a war raging in Europe, made more complicated by global dependence on Russian oil and gas, we need innovation more than ever, to secure our energy future, and stop emission of greenhouse gases. The amount of fusion fuel that could fill a bathtub holds as much energy as all the oil Russia produces each day – about 10 million barrels. For more than 70 years, fusion scientists and engineers have worked to discover how fusion works and how to control it. As we heard today, we’re getting closer to the finish line – and we are ready to take the next bold steps. If we work together, we can sprint over the finish line. The benefits are great – a source of emission-free electricity that we can turn on and off when and where we need it. And a combined source of heat and power for clean industrial processing, making hydrogen, desalinating water, and things we can’t even imagine today. So, decades from now, let’s look back at this moment, in this room, when we acted boldly again, to make the impossible possible. We acted boldly together, to make fusion energy, sunlight in a bottle, a reality.”
Geraldine Richmond, Under Secretary for Science and Innovation at the Department of Energy, provided closing remarks and a call to action, saying, “I am truly inspired to see the President’s commitment to energy justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion presented in these discussions. As Secretary Granholm said, we have a unique opportunity to build a new energy industry that’s truly representative of America and fully engages the communities it’s destined to serve. And it’s so wonderful to hear from the future generation of fusion researchers.” Under Secretary Richmond talked about DOE’s plans to accelerate commercial fusion energy, saying, “DOE is establishing a new department-wide cross-cutting effort, that will integrate fusion RD&D across multiple offices including the Office of Science, ARPA-E, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and Nuclear Energy. Our efforts will be guided by the 2021 National Academies report ‘Bringing Fusion to the U.S. Grid,’ and draw from the incredible hard work of the fusion R&D community that culminated in the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee’s long-range plan. We will continue to rely upon the top scientific minds at the DOE laboratories and universities as a source of ideas and innovation for the future. In our work with the private sector, we’ll take on new urgency so we can find the synergy between the exciting developments in the fusion industry and the unique capabilities supported by DOE.” Under Secretary Richmond closed by saying, “Fusion promises to be a clean source of energy for the future. It will enable us to address our climate crisis, ensure U.S. science and technology leadership, and benefit our economy and national security. And we at DOE are here to make this happen in close partnership with the research community, private industry, and other important stakeholders. And now, let’s get to work!”