I'm working on a report for my Engineering Economy class. It's essentially a summary and synthesis of research done by others. I chose nuclear fusion for my topic. This is what I have so far. The introduction section is by no means complete, but I don't want to write anymore tonight.
"Abstract
Energy from nuclear fusion promises to supply those utilizing it with cheap, clean, and abundant electricity without major harmful waste products, thus beating competitors. Nuclear fusion is not, however, ready for mainstream use; years of research lie ahead.
While affordable green energy is an admirable goal, other economic factors apply to the energy source, and must be considered. This report will summarize and synthesize research that has been conducted regarding the effects of fusion energy from different economic minded angles, taking into account societal, political, and environmental factors, as well as the monetary benefits.
Introduction
Since humans have been around, harnessing the raw power of the sun has been a dream of man. Mankind is not content with solar energy, which grabs only fleeting remnants of the energy of the sun, but instead lusts after the very energy that makes our star burn so bright. Nuclear fusion is the process the sun uses, and it is a method we’ve been working on since the success of the Manhattan Project. Fusion has been shown to work on Earth, both in an uncontrolled sense in so called hydrogen bombs, as well as in a more controlled tokamak reactor. The rub with fusion for energy is that researchers have not been able to engineer a system which creates and sustains a nuclear fusion reaction with less energy than the reaction generates. More research will be required: that point is not up for debate. What needs to be considered is the economic impact that further research will create, and whether or not it is worth continued investment.
Authors Han and Ward discuss the economic impact of nuclear fusion research in their article “Revised assessments of the economics of fusion power.” Their research will be the main focus of this report, being that economics factor heavily into the societal and political effect of energy in general, and fusion specifically."
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What do you think? Let me know in the comments: I'm open to any and all criticism.
