Toward a Fusion Power Plant
5 min read · Energy Atlas Editorial
A fusion power plant would need tritium breeding, materials that survive neutrons, and a thermal cycle — none of which is demonstrated as a complete system.
Overview
Demonstration plant concepts (often called DEMO in Europe) imagine capturing neutron heat in a blanket, breeding tritium from lithium, and running a conventional or advanced coolant cycle. Availability, remote maintenance, and licensing are as hard as plasma physics. Atlas does not assign a commercial operation year; published roadmaps disagree and have slipped before.
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Questions
What is the difference between fusion and fission?
Fission splits heavy nuclei. Fusion joins light ones. Both can release binding energy; only fission is commercial electricity today.