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FUSION ENERGY: WHEN WILL IT CONTRIBUTE TO A LOW-CARBON ECONOMY?

Prof. Ken Binmore

Monday 16 June 2008 at 7.30pm

On Monday June 16th Professor Steve Cowley of Imperial College (right) will speak on “Fusion Energy: when will it contribute to a low-carbon economy?” He’s extremely well placed to do so, as in September he becomes Director of the Culham Research Centre near Oxford, which houses the Joint European Torus (JET), currently the world’s most powerful fusion research facility.

Energy from nuclear fusion (the forcing-together of light atoms to produce heavier ones) is inherently safe, produces no greenhouses gases, and may be central to the future of mankind. Work on perfecting it has been underway for 50 years, with virtually all all industrial nations now investing heavily in cooperative research. The stakes are high, so what are the prospects? Find out on June 16th.