Nuclear Fusion: Zero-Carbon Energy Source of the Future?

A reader asked me to comment on this breakthrough in Germany re: nuclear fusion.  In particular, “Can you speak to its safety?”

Thanks.  This is very similar to what my friends at TriAlpha are doing here in California.  In fact, from the article it’s hard to know who’s further ahead, especially since all this work is so clandestine. 

My people at TriAlpha have succeeded in creating plasma that can be maintained indefinitely. I also believe that their approach, with one hydrogen atom and one boron-11 atom is better than using two deuterium atoms, but I’m not sure of that. The issue is a process that is aneutronic, i.e., one that doesn’t produce any extra neutrons, and both processes would accomplish that. In fact, both result in helium-4 atoms, but my people make three such atoms instead of one. (Thus the name TriAlpha; an alpha particle is another name for a helium-4 nucleus.)

Re: safety, I really don’t know.  Whenever you get that much energy in a small space, I have to think there would be safety issues, but those participating in it don’t seem concerned about that.  Also, because it’s fusion (rather than fission) the products are not radioactive.

In any case, it’s certainly good news that our civilization is advancing on this all-important front.