Winning the race to harness fusion energy is not a challenge for the next presidential administration or even the next Congress. The decisions the US makes in the next five years will determine whether it wins the fusion race – or watches China run away with the prize.
WASHINGTON, DC – In the late nineteenth century, America’s cities were dark. Gas lamps flickered in homes and along streets, while coal-fired engines powered industry, and steam propelled trains. Then the race to electrify the country began – a fierce competition between Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse that ultimately redefined modern life. Today, we stand on the cusp of a similarly momentous energy transformation, powered by fusion energy. But this time it is a competition between countries, not innovators, that will make all the difference.
WASHINGTON, DC – In the late nineteenth century, America’s cities were dark. Gas lamps flickered in homes and along streets, while coal-fired engines powered industry, and steam propelled trains. Then the race to electrify the country began – a fierce competition between Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse that ultimately redefined modern life. Today, we stand on the cusp of a similarly momentous energy transformation, powered by fusion energy. But this time it is a competition between countries, not innovators, that will make all the difference.