Abstract
The primary (and perhaps the most difficult) goal of the fusion program has been the production of base-load electricity. Like nuclear fission power plants, fusion power plants are unlikely to lend themselves well to situations that require rapid changes in power levels. This characteristic, as well as economies of scale, tends to make fusion reactors more likely to be economically competitive at relative large sizes in central station (as distinguished from distributed) electricity generation. The latter (distributed) future market most likely will be filled by an array of solar, wind, and possibly gas turbine technologies. The primary competition for fusion will, then, be from coal, nuclear, and possibly natural gas power plants.
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Dean, S.O. (2013). Applications. In: Search for the Ultimate Energy Source. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6037-4_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6037-4_11
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