Should Google Go Nuclear? Clean, cheap, nuclear power...
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited as Bussard's last substantial public presentation on polywell fusion and the source of his claim that about $200M would be enough.
What it is
A 2006 Google Tech Talk by Robert Bussard on inertial electrostatic confinement (polywell) fusion as a cheap, clean alternative to conventional thermonuclear reactors. He argues it could be made viable with modest funding.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2011 to 2022.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec ThaddeusQuay2 · 2012-09 · on “Dry-run experiments verify key aspect of Sandia nuclear fusion concept”
Bussard was a genius who couldn't get funding. Less than a year before he died of cancer, he asked Google for a paltry sum to continue his research, shortly after the government cut him off. I have wondered why Google didn't jump on this. Do you know? And now, ironically, the Navy, the very entity which tossed him out, has not only picked up his research, but has apparently gone all quiet about the results. Here's the video of his excellent (and, in retrospect, sad) presentation at Google. I say "sad" because it shows an intellectual giant, nearly on his deathbed, practically begging an Internet giant, for what was really the tiny amount he needed to continue with what had become his life's
Cites ThaddeusQuay · 2011-07 · on “Thorium nuclear reactors: a possible solution of the energy crisis? (video)”
If Google has actually spent that much on renewables, then why didn't they give Bussard the measly $5M (or maybe it was $20M) for which he practically begged them, back on 11/09/06? He needed $200M, over 5 years, to build his fusion reactor, but only a small fraction of that to confirm some important experimental results which he had achieved just before the Navy cut his funding. He believed that he could get that confirmation, and that it would be enough to show that proceeding with the $200M investment would be prudent. I was quite sad to see that he died about 11 months later, having not achieved his dream, and having been reduced to begging at the end of his life. Google not only should
Cites carapace · 2021-10 · on “Is nuclear power our best bet against climate change?”
It's a bit cheeky but I like to point out that the Sun is nuclear power . It's a maintenance-free fusion reactor so powerful that it can blind you from 150 million km away. - - - - Anyway, Robert Bussard believed that he was on to something with his polywell fusion plant: [this video] He claimed that it would only take about $200M of engineering development to become viable. [LINK]
Cites carapace · 2022-07 · on “Germany to Rethink Nuclear Shutdown as Energy Crisis Deepens”
Have you heard of the Polywell design for fusion reactors? If so, what do you think? [LINK] Dr. Robert Bussard (RIP): [this video] He claimed that it would only take about $200M of engineering development to become viable.