The fight to prove their approach to fusion could be viable.
This video follows the journey of Avalanche Energy, a startup racing to harness the power of the stars. With $40M in funding and a bold vision, the team believes fusion can be built smaller, faster, and differently.
But on the bleeding edge of physics, progress comes with setbacks, exhaustion, and doubt. After achieving nearly all of their Series A milestones, the team hits a wall with plasma density.
Guided by a new plan, a creative team and a forgotten Soviet paper, they take a risk on a radical redesign — a gamble that could not only complete their milestones but also achieve the highest plasma density ever recorded for a small fusion reactor.
Fusion energy generation requires precise control of billions of energetic, invisible particles that want to expand rapidly, damaging the container we’re keeping it in.
Our ApproachLong Confinement Time. Fusion plasma is highly dynamic and will damage anything it comes in contact with. Confining this high-energy, dense plasma at fusion conditions for long periods of time is critical to the life of the device.
Net Energy Gain. To have a viable fusion generator, the components that create and maintain fusion conditions must require less energy than the reaction produces.
Novel, Tough Materials. Fusion device components are required to continue to perform and maintain structural integrity while being exposed to extremely high temperatures and bombardment by high-energy particles.
High Energy. Positively charged ions don't want to be close together; the like charges of the fusion fuel ions repel each other. Incredibly high energy must be imparted on the ions for them to overcome this charge force to fuse, which can equate to tens of millions of degrees Celsius.
High Density. Fusion plasma wants to rapidly expand. To generate energy, the plasma ions must be forced close together in a dense plasma.
Very High Vacuum. Accelerating fusion fuels to keep fusion particles at extremely high speeds requires removing as much background gases as possible, usually requiring the reactor to be in deep vacuum.
Research and development in fusion power, advancements in fusion technologies, high voltage power systems, computing and magnets are accelerating, bringing us closer to practical fusion energy systems. While fusion power may not be realized immediately, it holds the promise of transforming our energy landscape, delivering an abundant and sustainable source of power for a cleaner, more prosperous future.
Clean. A fusion reaction does not release greenhouse gasses. And unlike nuclear fission, fusion does not produce long-lived radioactive waste.
Safe. In the event of any unforeseen disruptions, the fusion reaction naturally ceases, minimizing potential hazards.
Abundant. To power fusion, five different fuels exist and are practically limitless in supply. Depending on the power needed, some fuels are more easily accessible.
Energy Dense. Fusion releases roughly 4 million times more energy than an equal mass of burning coal, and 4 times more than nuclear fission.
Secure. By reducing dependence on finite fossil fuel reserves, fusion provides nations with greater energy independence.
Sustainable. Fusion meets the rising global energy demand without depleting natural resources or causing irreparable harm to the planet.
Fusion is better small.
