The University of Wisconsin-Madison is leading a major multi-institution project to develop and test a critical fusion technology—research that will directly benefit commercial fusion power plant developers.
A $19 million Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) award from the U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the research. Ben Lindley, an assistant professor in nuclear engineering and engineering physics at UW-Madison, is leading the project, which brings together leading experts from academia, national laboratories and industry with the goal of bridging the DOE Fusion Energy Sciences program’s basic science research and growing fusion industries.
Fusion energy, the process that powers the sun and stars, is a long-sought-after way to produce limitless clean, safe and reliable energy. UW-Madison is one of the world’s top-ranked fusion energy research universities and has a strong track record of spinning off fusion companies. In fact, two key industry partners in this project—SHINE Technologies, based in Janesville, Wisconsin, and Madison-based Realta Fusion—are spinoffs from UW-Madison research.
“This research will significantly reduce deployment risks for commercial fusion reactor developers such as Realta Fusion, Type One Energy and Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and others,” Lindley says. “Our cutting-edge experimental facilities and capabilities at the university and our close proximity to the Wisconsin-based fusion companies make UW-Madison an ideal place to lead this effort.”
Read the full story here: https://engineering.wisc.edu/news/with-major-u-s-investment-uw-madison-leads-effort-to-advance-abundant-fusion-energy-for-all/