It's an old joke that many fusion scientists have grown tired of hearing: Practical nuclear fusion power plants are just 30 years away -- and always will be.
But now, finally, the joke may no longer be true: Advances in magnet technology have enabled researchers at MIT to propose a new design for a practical compact tokamak fusion reactor -- and it's one that might be realized in as little as a decade, they say. The era of practical fusion power, which could offer a nearly inexhaustible energy resource, may be coming near.
And it's not just MIT. Lockheed-Martin is well on the way to developing such a small scale commercial fusion reactor. To read more, click here.