Saturday 26 December 2015

Con-fusion

Letter sent to the Independent:
In your political editor's report at the top of page2 ("Our fusion capability is the best there is, and it's largely supported by EU money," 24 Dec), Prof Steve Cowley , who runs the UK nuclear fusion research programme, asserts that it would not be possible  outside the EU.(http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-referendum-leading-uk-scientists-warn-against-consequences-of-brexit-a6784886.html)
 
At the bottom of the same page, your science editor reports that several of the big science projects to which the UK is signed up, such as the international nuclear fusion project (ITER), based in France, would not be affected by UK withdrawal from the EU (Brexit) as they are not run by the EU.(http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/eu-referendum-anything-that-threatens-collaboration-is-viewed-with-suspicion-by-scientists-a6784896.html)
 
Both reports are true, but create con-fusion! The real question is should tens of billions of pounds /euros continue to be spent on the fusion holy grail, when less complex but more accessible forms of energy conversion and power  generation- using the great golden globe fusion reactor in the sky-  are readily available.
 
The JET fusion experiment (https://www.euro-fusion.org/jet/)based in Oxfordshire for over 35 years, has so far  "successfully" generated 16 MW of power from fusion, but only for less than a second to date!

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