Science 3115766 1380 (2005)
"Fusion Power: Will It Ever Come?"

The cost of the neutron absorber blanket for a 1 GW-electrical controlled thermonuclear fusion power plant is conservatively estimated to be $1.8 billion, or $1800/kWe of rated capcity. The blanket costs all by themselves exceed an entire nuclear fission power plant, including fuel and spent fuel storage.

The capital cost of building a fusion power plant is conservatively estimated to be $(US)0.36/kW-hr for its nominal lifetime. If you want to run it, output energy will cost considerably more, wholesale. That doesn't include any profits, folks - or any Enviro-whiner lawsuits for leaking tritium.

Canadian hydro is about $(US)0.05/kW-hr for the retail consumer. The worst US electrical costs are about $0.15/kW-hr for the retail consumer.

Fusion power will be too cheap to meter! In reality, you couldn't afford even the meter.

Dear Uncle:
What is your responce to this Presentation,if you would like to look over the Pdf file just email me, shengar@aol.com and I'll send it.

Vincent Page (a technology officer at GE!!) gave a presentation at the 05 6th symposium on current trends in international fusion research , which high lights the need to fully fund three different approaches to P-B11 fusion (Below Is an excerpt).
He quotes costs and time to development of P-B11 Fusion as tens of million $, and years verses the many decades and ten Billion plus $ projected for ITER and other "Big" science efforts:


"for larger plant sizes
Time to small-scale Cost to achieve net if the small-scale
Concept Description net energy production energy concept works:
Koloc Spherical Plasma: 10 years(time frame), $25 million (cost), 80%(chance of success)
Field Reversed Configuration: 8 years $75 million 60%
Plasma Focus: 6 years $18 million 80%

Desirable Fusion Reactor Qualities
? Research & development is also needed in
the area of computing power.
? Many fusion researchers of necessity still
use MHD theory to validate their designs.
? MHD theory assumes perfect diamagnetism
and perfect conductance.
? These qualities may not always exist in the
real world, particularly during continuous operation.
? More computing power is needed to allow use of a more realistic validation theory
such as the Vlasov equations.
? ORNL is in the process of adding some impressive computing power.
? Researchers now need to develop more realistic validation methods up to the
limits of the available computing power.
? Governments need to fund these efforts."


I feel in light of the recent findings of neutrons, x-rays, and gamma rays in lightening, that these threads need to be brought together in an article.The minimal cost and time frame for even the possibility of this leap forward seems criminal not to pursue.

Uncle Al wrote:
"Fusion power will be too cheap to meter! In reality, you couldn't afford even the meter."

And in your lifetime the price of CPUs has dropped by how much? And in your lifetime the price of other commodities has dropped how much? And in your lifetime the price of somethings has gone up how much?

Prices are not static Al. What you read may be valid and may be nonsense. One thing is for sure. Given time it will be wildly wrong in one direction or the other.

My guess ... the number is outrageously high because it is based on assumptions about location and materials that are purely speculative and likely put out for purposes of gaining some political or social outcome.

Looks like Eric Lerner is moving down the roadwith his 1 Billion C Focus Fusion device!!

U.S., Chilean Labs to Collaborate on Testing Scientific Feasibility of Focus Fusion
http://pesn.com/2006/03/18/9600250_LPP_Chilean_Nuclear_Commission/