$300M prize for a new car battery? How much for fusion?

[TallDave]

McCain's proposing a $300M prize for a car battery that can replace internal combustion engines.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/20 ... cains.html

So naturally, this makes me ask: what kind of prize is a working net power fusion reactor worth? I'd say a billion easy.

With a billion dollar prize out there to compete for, it would greatly increase the chances of getting private financing for WB-100, as it's only around $200M to build. The CBFR guys would also love to see this I'm sure.

What would the specs look like for that prize? I would say it would have to achieve Q>5 for at least ten hours of continuous operation.

[Skytreker]

Speaking of car batteries...

I wonder how far EESTOR development of the Barium Titanate super capacitors went. This is important because even if we had achieved cheap and reliable fusion source for electricity there still has to be a way to apply it in the transport. Like advanced batteries and electrical engines.

[MSimon]

McCain's proposing a $300M prize for a car battery that can replace internal combustion engines.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/20 ... cains.html

So naturally, this makes me ask: what kind of prize is a working net power fusion reactor worth? I'd say a billion easy.

With a billion dollar prize out there to compete for, it would greatly increase the chances of getting private financing for WB-100, as it's only around $200M to build. The CBFR guys would also love to see this I'm sure.

What would the specs look like for that prize? I would say it would have to achieve Q>5 for at least ten hours of continuous operation.

Now add in that McCain is well aware of BFRs.

The Multi-Billion Dollar push that I suggested was likely is not near as far fetched as it once seemed.

[StevePoling]

McCain's proposing a $300M prize for a car battery that can replace internal combustion engines.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/20 ... cains.html

So naturally, this makes me ask: what kind of prize is a working net power fusion reactor worth? I'd say a billion easy.

With a billion dollar prize out there to compete for, it would greatly increase the chances of getting private financing for WB-100, as it's only around $200M to build. The CBFR guys would also love to see this I'm sure.

What would the specs look like for that prize? I would say it would have to achieve Q>5 for at least ten hours of continuous operation.

Now add in that McCain is well aware of BFRs.

The Multi-Billion Dollar push that I suggested was likely is not near as far fetched as it once seemed.

Now, put on your tinfoil hat and ask if the Saudis--who have bought and paid for the politicians on both sides of the aisle--will approve. When I wear my tinfoil hat, I ask, "who benefits?" from the environmental and energy policies coming out of Washington. Most alternative energy rhetoric is unrealistic, but sufficient only to assure the greens we're not cutting our own throats prohibiting offshore drilling and ANWR. But since it isn't realistic, we end up buying oil from the Saudis until the alternative energy tooth-fairy gets here.

Thus I think such a prize should not come from the government, but from private sources instead. Since I'm not giving any money to the country-clubbers running the Republican Party these days, I'm open to the idea of donating to a fusion-prize. I'm not rich, but if a few thousand of us each ponied up what we can afford toward the prize, it could add up to real money.

Maybe IEC fusion is another tooth-fairy that won't pan out, but it's a lot cooler than harvesting methane from chicken dung.

[TallDave]

No one really cares what the Saudis think about energy policy. They give our pols money so we protect them and sell them arms instead of seizing their oilfields, which we could do in a matter of hours, and don't give them grief about the abysmal state of civil liberties in their country, which we should be doing every hour.

Remember when that Saudi prince donated $10M after 9/11 and was then told we didn't want it when he started shooting his mouth off about it being our fault? Money only talks so loud.

[energyfan]

Speaking of car batteries...

I wonder how far EESTOR development of the Barium Titanate super capacitors went. This is important because even if we had achieved cheap and reliable fusion source for electricity there still has to be a way to apply it in the transport. Like advanced batteries and electrical engines.

When I saw McCains announcement in AutoBloggreen the first thing that went through my head was EEstor(the second being why doesnt Fusion get this kind of back-up) .... EEstor is probably vaporware, although i still have a little hope for it, Lockheed Martin showed some interest in them afterall, but its wiser to bet on Li-ion batteries, EEstor keeps delaying their "device" by one year. If only polywell got this kind of financial backing, we could figure out fast enough wether the system will work or not and then be done with it.

*deleted* : reiterative

[Skytreker]

Now add in that McCain is well aware of BFRs.

The Multi-Billion Dollar push that I suggested was likely is not near as far fetched as it once seemed.

This is not so improbable. I am just squeezing my charms that the “money dam” will burst after the expected August peer review of WB-7. The current oil situation is a mockery.

[Jeff Peachman]

McCain doesn't need to propose a prize for polywell, he knows the government is developing it and if the review goes well they'll get all the money they need. The point of prizes is to encourage competing approaches. And there aren't that many approaches out there for fusion. For batteries it's completely different.

A big fusion prize would also have something of a giggle factor with the public.

[JohnP]

The fusion community has already gotten $ billions. Just not the IEC folks. Not yet, anyway.

[energyfan]

Speaking of fusion, summer is well underway. I think we were going to get some solid news on the Polywell results around this time. Any idea on whats going on ?

Edit: News aside from what Dr. Nebel already posted a few weeks ago.

[2edfe9]

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007 ... house.html

Richard Branson's offering $25m to the first group that can remove a significant amount of CO2 from the atmosphere without adverse effects. Seems to me that would be fairly straight forward once you had an unlimited supply of green energy at your disposal.

[kcdodd]

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007 ... house.html

Richard Branson's offering $25m to the first group that can remove a significant amount of CO2 from the atmosphere without adverse effects. Seems to me that would be fairly straight forward once you had an unlimited supply of green energy at your disposal.

Tree's. Or their new name; autonomous self repairing/reproducing solar powered CO2 scrubbers. Now where's my money. I know, I know. They want something that can rival all the forests on the earth. Do you think his money is safe? lol