New and recently funded Energy Startups
1
Country: Germany | Funding: $361.7M
Focused Energy is developing fusion reactor that uses lasers to compress fuel (inertial confinement). Lasers strike a fuel target, which is compressed by the laser radiation, creating conditions favorable for fusion. When the atoms within the fuel finally fuse, they release a significant amount of energy. The company bases its design on an experiment conducted at the National Fusion Facility which remains the first and only one to create a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that released more energy than it took to start it. Focused Energy is working on simplifying the fuel target. One simplification involves eliminating the hohlraum - the high-precision gold cylinder that converts laser energy into X-rays.
Focused Energy is developing fusion reactor that uses lasers to compress fuel (inertial confinement). Lasers strike a fuel target, which is compressed by the laser radiation, creating conditions favorable for fusion. When the atoms within the fuel finally fuse, they release a significant amount of energy. The company bases its design on an experiment conducted at the National Fusion Facility which remains the first and only one to create a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that released more energy than it took to start it. Focused Energy is working on simplifying the fuel target. One simplification involves eliminating the hohlraum - the high-precision gold cylinder that converts laser energy into X-rays.
2
Country: Canada | Funding: $392M
General Fusion is developing utility-scale fusion power using a new, patent pending concept based on recent developments in Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF). It is the goal of General Fusion to demonstrate and commercialize this new clean, safe and economical concept by the end of the decade.
General Fusion is developing utility-scale fusion power using a new, patent pending concept based on recent developments in Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF). It is the goal of General Fusion to demonstrate and commercialize this new clean, safe and economical concept by the end of the decade.
3
Country: USA | Funding: $450M
Inertia is a fusion-energy company that is taking the most direct, scientifically-proven path to commercializing fusion, leveraging the only successful achievement of fusion ignition, using a process that was pioneered at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The startup’s reactor relies on a form of fusion known as inertial confinement. In Inertia’s flavor of inertial confinement, lasers bombard a fuel target, compressing the fuel until atoms inside fuse and release energy. The technique is based on NIF’s designs, in which laser light is converted into X-rays inside the target. The X-rays are what ultimately heat and compress the fuel pellet.
Inertia is a fusion-energy company that is taking the most direct, scientifically-proven path to commercializing fusion, leveraging the only successful achievement of fusion ignition, using a process that was pioneered at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The startup’s reactor relies on a form of fusion known as inertial confinement. In Inertia’s flavor of inertial confinement, lasers bombard a fuel target, compressing the fuel until atoms inside fuse and release energy. The technique is based on NIF’s designs, in which laser light is converted into X-rays inside the target. The X-rays are what ultimately heat and compress the fuel pellet.
4
Country: USA | Funding: $1.5B
Helion Energy uses fusion energy to provide pure, safe electricity. Helion's fusion generator elevates fusion (Deuterium and helium-3) fuel to ultra-high temperatures to achieve plasma conditions and directly obtains electricity with a high-efficiency pulsed approach. Magnets confine the plasma in a Field Reversed Configuration and speed up two FRCs to 1 million mph from opposite ends of the generator. When the FRCs collide in the center of the system, they are further compressed by a strong magnetic field until they reach fusion temperatures greater than 100M degrees Celsius (150M already achieved). At this temperature, the deuterium and helium-3 ions are moving fast enough to surpass the forces that would otherwise keep them apart, and they fuse. This emits more energy than is consumed by the fusion process.
Helion Energy uses fusion energy to provide pure, safe electricity. Helion's fusion generator elevates fusion (Deuterium and helium-3) fuel to ultra-high temperatures to achieve plasma conditions and directly obtains electricity with a high-efficiency pulsed approach. Magnets confine the plasma in a Field Reversed Configuration and speed up two FRCs to 1 million mph from opposite ends of the generator. When the FRCs collide in the center of the system, they are further compressed by a strong magnetic field until they reach fusion temperatures greater than 100M degrees Celsius (150M already achieved). At this temperature, the deuterium and helium-3 ions are moving fast enough to surpass the forces that would otherwise keep them apart, and they fuse. This emits more energy than is consumed by the fusion process.
5
Country: USA | Funding: $1.5B
TAE Technologies is on a course to commercial fusion energy. It's fusion machine design is compact and linear so a commercial fusion power plant would be easily expandable for mass manufacturing. TAE is pursuing fusion with hydrogen-boron (a.k.a. p-B11 or p11B) because it is plentiful and radiation-free, making it the most sustainable option for running and maintaining commercial fusion power plants. TAE’s method to generate fusion power is called Advanced beam-driven Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC). All together, TAE’s approach to fusion can deliver a affordable product that has high energy density, high availability of fuel and no risk of pollution, proliferation, breakdown or toxic waste, making it the ultimate clean energy source.
TAE Technologies is on a course to commercial fusion energy. It's fusion machine design is compact and linear so a commercial fusion power plant would be easily expandable for mass manufacturing. TAE is pursuing fusion with hydrogen-boron (a.k.a. p-B11 or p11B) because it is plentiful and radiation-free, making it the most sustainable option for running and maintaining commercial fusion power plants. TAE’s method to generate fusion power is called Advanced beam-driven Field-Reversed Configuration (FRC). All together, TAE’s approach to fusion can deliver a affordable product that has high energy density, high availability of fuel and no risk of pollution, proliferation, breakdown or toxic waste, making it the ultimate clean energy source.
6
Country: USA | Funding: $2.9B
Commonwealth Fusion Systems is collaborating with MIT to create SPARC - the world's first fusion device that produces plasma that generates more energy than consumes. This compact, high-field tokamak will be built using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. CFS technology uses the new superconductor Rare Earth Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO) to produce the most powerful and most compact fusion magnets. Once SPARC is built, the company plans to build the world's first fusion power plant capable of generating hundreds of megawatts of power. CFS research is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems is collaborating with MIT to create SPARC - the world's first fusion device that produces plasma that generates more energy than consumes. This compact, high-field tokamak will be built using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. CFS technology uses the new superconductor Rare Earth Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO) to produce the most powerful and most compact fusion magnets. Once SPARC is built, the company plans to build the world's first fusion power plant capable of generating hundreds of megawatts of power. CFS research is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
7
Country: UK | Funding: $287M
Tokamak Energy aims to accelerate the development of fusion energy. It designed, built and operate two of the world’s most advanced fusion facilities: ST40, the world’s highest-field spherical tokamak, and Demo4, the first HTS fusion magnet system to achieve fusion-relevant magnetic fields in a dedicated test facility. ST40 has already achieved a series of major milestones, including a plasma ion temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, the threshold for commercial fusion energy, plasma current of 1 MA, demonstrating operation in high-performance regimes. ST40 is currently undergoing a major upgrade under LEAPS (Lithium Evaporations to Advance PFCs in ST40), a joint UK-U.S. programme supported by the U.S DoE.
Tokamak Energy aims to accelerate the development of fusion energy. It designed, built and operate two of the world’s most advanced fusion facilities: ST40, the world’s highest-field spherical tokamak, and Demo4, the first HTS fusion magnet system to achieve fusion-relevant magnetic fields in a dedicated test facility. ST40 has already achieved a series of major milestones, including a plasma ion temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, the threshold for commercial fusion energy, plasma current of 1 MA, demonstrating operation in high-performance regimes. ST40 is currently undergoing a major upgrade under LEAPS (Lithium Evaporations to Advance PFCs in ST40), a joint UK-U.S. programme supported by the U.S DoE.
8
Country: China | Funding: CN¥1.5B
Neo Fusion is building and operating BEST (Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting) tokamak at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It utilizes "burning plasma" i.e., regime close to self-sustaining nuclear fusion. Neo Fusion is 50% controlled by state-owned energy companies (China National Petroleum Corporation and Hefei Science Island) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The company plans to use nuclear fusion technology to produce enterprise energy appliances, providing businesses with clean energy technologies that generate electricity without generating radioactive waste.
Neo Fusion is building and operating BEST (Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting) tokamak at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It utilizes "burning plasma" i.e., regime close to self-sustaining nuclear fusion. Neo Fusion is 50% controlled by state-owned energy companies (China National Petroleum Corporation and Hefei Science Island) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The company plans to use nuclear fusion technology to produce enterprise energy appliances, providing businesses with clean energy technologies that generate electricity without generating radioactive waste.
9
Country: France | Funding: €47M
Renaissance Fusion is a high-temperature superconductor and stellarator company. Unlike most nuclear fusion experiments that are based on tokamaks, Renaissance Fusion is working on a stellarator reactor.
Renaissance Fusion is a high-temperature superconductor and stellarator company. Unlike most nuclear fusion experiments that are based on tokamaks, Renaissance Fusion is working on a stellarator reactor.
10
Country: Germany | Funding: €607.5M
Proxima Fusion is a spinout from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics that is building a quasi-isodynamic (QI) stellarator - fusion reactor that uses magnets to hold superheated gas in place so atoms can fuse and release energy. In this approach magnetic confinement toroidal currents are canceled to zero, resulting in uniquely robust characteristics. In the absence of toroidal plasma currents, current instabilities and the risk of failures that can occur in tokamaks and other stellarator concepts can be completely eliminated. The company has also developed a new heat removal technology and has already tested an island divertor at facilities at the Institute.
Proxima Fusion is a spinout from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics that is building a quasi-isodynamic (QI) stellarator - fusion reactor that uses magnets to hold superheated gas in place so atoms can fuse and release energy. In this approach magnetic confinement toroidal currents are canceled to zero, resulting in uniquely robust characteristics. In the absence of toroidal plasma currents, current instabilities and the risk of failures that can occur in tokamaks and other stellarator concepts can be completely eliminated. The company has also developed a new heat removal technology and has already tested an island divertor at facilities at the Institute.
