Free Republic

EVERETT — A Chelan County hearing examiner approved a conditional use permit on Tuesday, allowing Everett-based Helion Energy to construct what could become the world’s first fusion power plant in the town of Malaga near the Columbia River. Helion broke ground for the facility in July. The decision this week clears the way for it to build a 100,000-square-foot “fusion generation building,” a 55,000-square-foot substation and a 26,800-square-foot assembly building, according to project documents. “This is another important step toward a future of abundant, clean, safe, affordable energy,” said David Kirtley, Helion’s co-founder and CEO, in a press release. “As...

The interview with David Kirtley, founder of Helion Energy, dives into the development of fusion energy as a sustainable and efficient future power source with Helion's approach focusing on rapid iteration, efficiency in direct electricity generation, and addressing the challenges and regulatory aspects of commercializing fusion energy. Key Takeaways They make H3 by fusing two deuterium atoms that come from water. They convert the fusion directly into electricity. No steam needed. Their first power plant already is contracted with microsoft to produce power in 2028. They believe they will be able to produce electricity and make it available to the...

NASA’S NEW SHORTCUT TO FUSION POWER Lattice confinement fusion eliminates massive magnets and powerful lasers PHYSICISTS FIRST SUSPECTED more than a century ago that the fusing of hydrogen into helium powers the sun. It took researchers many years to unravel the secrets by which lighter elements are smashed together into heavier ones inside stars, releasing energy in the process. And scientists and engineers have continued to study the sun’s fusion process in hopes of one day using nuclear fusion to generate heat or electricity. But the prospect of meeting our energy needs this way remains elusive. The extraction of energy...

Helion Energy, a startup developing engines powered by nuclear fusion, is certain to pique the interest of sci-fi fans. But the more important question for Helion President Philip Wallace is whether the same can be said of venture capitalists. That’s because the Seattle-based company is on the hunt for $20 million in financing to build a full-scale model of its fusion engine. That engine, which the company currently has a prototype of at one-third scale, works by forming hot, ionized hydrogen gas. The gas is then electromagnetically accelerated to greater than 1 million mph and collided in a burn chamber...