All posts tagged: gigawatts

Pacific Fusion’s latest prototype packs 440 gigawatts into an 80-nanosecond burst

Pacific Fusion’s latest prototype packs 440 gigawatts into an 80-nanosecond burst

Published by skeptic

Pacific Fusion took the wraps off its latest pulser module prototype on Tuesday, a piece of equipment that allows the company to move ahead with its demonstration fusion power plant. Construction on the fusion power plant is expected to begin this summer. Results from the shipping container-sized prototype were good enough to unlock another tranche of Pacific Fusion’s Series A round, which exceeds $1 billion, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The company did not disclose the size of the tranche. Pacific Fusion is among the best-funded fusion startups. The tranche-based model is more widely used in biotech, where it saves startups time on fundraising, allowing them to remain focused on hitting technical milestones.  The funding arrangement has allowed the company “to keep our heads down,” Pacific Fusion CTO Keith LeChien told TechCrunch. “It means that we can lean into the future without spending 20% to 50% time constantly looking for the next piece of capital.” Pacific Fusion is pursuing a form of fusion power known as inertial confinement. Its reactor will use 156 pulser modules …

Nearly 60 gigawatts of U.S. clean power stalled, trade group finds

Nearly 60 gigawatts of U.S. clean power stalled, trade group finds

Published by Sam Flores

A total of 59 gigawatts of U.S. clean energy projects are facing delays at a time when demand for power from AI data centers is surging, according to a trade group study. Developers are seeing an average delay of 19 months over issues such as long interconnection times, supply constraints and regulatory barriers, the American Clean Power Assn. said in a quarterly market report. The backlog is happening despite the growing need for power on grids that are being taxed by energy-hungry data centers and increased manufacturing. The Trump administration has implemented a slew of policies to slow the build-out of solar and wind projects, including delaying approvals on federal lands. The potential energy generation facing delays is the equivalent of 59 traditional nuclear reactors, enough to power more than 44 million homes simultaneously. “Current policy instability is beginning to impact investor confidence and negatively impact project timelines at a time when demand is surging,” American Clean Power Chief Policy Officer JC Sandberg said in a statement. Despite the hurdles, developers were able to bring …