Microsoft decided to make a strong commitment to the future of clean energy after signing an agreement with Helion Energy. Said startup, backed by Sam Altman and other millionaires in the tech sector, has committed to provide the people of Redmond with electricity generated by nuclear fusion starting in 2028.. A plan that, if it sounds incredibly ambitious to you, it probably is.
Energy generation through nuclear fusion has been studied since the beginning of the 20th century, and great strides have already been made. Last year, for example, for the first time it was achieved that the amount of energy received exceeds the amount of energy used to start the reaction. However, experts believe that we are still far from having an efficient nuclear fusion power generation system that can be openly commercialized. A process that can take even decades.
But Helion Energy believes that you can do it in just 5 years, and Microsoft decided to give him a vote of confidence. There are not many details regarding this agreement. From the very beginning, they simply mentioned that the power plant would be operational in 2028 and that will aim to generate 50 megawatts or more, after a deployment period of 1 year. It is not yet known how much money Redmond has invested in this initiative.
The use of electricity generated from nuclear fusion is one of Microsoft’s steps towards achieving its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 2030 – as long as the startup can do it. Helion has already developed six prototype generators and claims to be the first private company to achieve plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius. If everything goes well in 2024 it will demonstrate its seventh prototype, with which it will be able to generate electricity..
Microsoft and a vote of confidence in nuclear fusion
The announcement by Microsoft and Helion Energy did not go unnoticed in the field of nuclear fusion research. Andrew HollandExecutive Director of the US Fusion Industry Association. CNBC which is the first agreement of its kind in history.
“This is the first time I know that the company has signed a contract for the purchase and sale of electricity. [creada con fusión nuclear]and Helion’s 2028 target is aggressive, but they have a clear plan on how to achieve it.”
Robert Rosner, a theoretical physicist at the University of Chicago, was wary of the deal’s chances of success. “I would say that this is the most daring thing I have ever heard. In songs like this, I’ll never say never. But it would be amazing if they succeeded,” he said. edge.
However, Helion assures that the connection with Microsoft is far from a simple commercial trick. David Kirtley, CEO of the company, assures that what they have signed is “binding agreement with financial sanctions” if they don’t install a plant capable of producing electricity by nuclear fusion and deliver it to their customer on time.
It’s still too early to tell if the startup can deliver what it promised. If it succeeds, it could be an important evolutionary leap for clean energy in general and for research related to nuclear fusion in particular. At the same time, 5 years is an incredibly short period and very far from any reasonably optimistic forecast on the commercial use of the electricity generated in this process.
Helion Energy was founded in 2013 by David Kirtley, Chris Peel, John Slough and George Votrubek. Today, the company has about 150 employees and is headquartered in Everett, Washington. In recent years, it has attracted the attention of several millionaires from the technology sector who have decided to invest in this proposal. Such are the cases Reid Hoffmanco-founder of LinkedIn, Dustin Moskowitzco-founder of Facebook and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. The latter laid out at least $375 million out of his own pocket.
Source: Hiper Textual
