Often, we interchange science and technology. Science is the natural drive from humans for the pursuit of information which create desires in us that create a hole. We fill that desire using technology as a means to an end. To have advanced to where we have today, it would not have been possible without the generation of power. Our means to provide power has adapted through the ages from things like steam turbines, nuclear power plants, conventional power plants, etc. As our species advances and expands, our demand for power increases dramatically as population increases as well as technology itself demanding more. That brings me to the future, Fusion. Although not from the last decade strictly speaking, viable fusion reactors that are viable have been created in the last decade. Its not a matter of if, but when. It has been science for the last 80 years or so when it was presented that fusion has been powering the sun. He stated that the sun generates the energy equivalent of 100 billion nuclear bombs in one second. This sparked the near century old desire of mankind to create a near limitless supply of clean energy that in my opinion, will advance humans to the next technological age. Think of it, think of all the money saved in our daily lives for energy being invested in other ways. The possibility of altering what we know of space travel, removing the conflict for the control of oil. We are on the verge of something truly game changing, and it is within our grasp.
The advancement of fusion technology has been held back due to having to establish the conditions here on earth similar to the internals of the son. You have to develop high enough temperature and pressure which is extremely difficult and expensive. Advances in other technology have made this possible however in areas such as Magnetic Confinement. By the use of strong magnetic fields, scientists are able to confine the plasma and more importantly keep it from coming in contact with the reactor walls.
As is often the case, in my opinion technology breeds technology. As an example, in the first week we learned about the discovery of the wheel. This discovery led eventually to where we are today with inventions such as the electric car. Think about that for a second and apply that same advancement to something like the fusion reactor and imagine 100 years from now where we will be when fusion is no longer a dream, no longer a science, but a fully developed technology.
References
Haider, Q. (Oct 2018). Nuclear Fusion : Holy Grail of Energy. Retrieved from
