Elon Musk Tweet: Nuclear fusion has long been the goal of scientists and engineers alike, offering promise as a more environmentally friendly source of power that would bring down costs while being safe to use. But despite years of research efforts, fusion remains unattainable at present – something not lost on visionaries like Elon Musk who recently tweeted his support for a South Korean fusion project.
Elon Musk, the billionaire founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, may soon make that a thing of the past with his tweet on July 22, 2023 declaring himself to be pro nuclear energy and that “extremely safe nuclear plants can be built using fission,” as opposed to fusion. Additionally, he suggested solar and wind power are more cost-effective solutions.
How Musk’s Tweet Sparked a Debate on Fusion
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Musk’s tweet quickly went viral and garnered widespread response from both the public and scientific communities alike. While some shared his viewpoint and applauded his promotion of renewable energy and battery storage technologies, others disagreed and criticised him for dismissing fusion as a viable energy option for future energy needs.
Some prominent voices who joined in on the debate include:
- Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and the founder of TerraPower (an advanced nuclear company currently working to develop a fission reactor), tweeted his admiration for Elon Musk’s achievements while disagreeing with his position on fusion energy; according to Gates it’s “not only possible but necessary” to reach carbon-free world goals and TerraPower is working with other partners towards making that goal come true.
- Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of Blue Origin space exploration company. Bezos recently tweeted his enthusiasm for nuclear fusion, investing in Canadian startup General Fusion that’s building prototype reactor. Bezos called it an ideal clean energy source with great potential, saying he is optimistic of its potential.
- Richard Branson, founder and owner of Virgin Group and Virgin Galactic – a space tourism company. Branson tweeted that he is in support of both fission and fusion projects; each technology offers their own benefits and drawbacks and that he’s pleased to see advancement in nuclear energy research and innovation.
What is the Future of Fusion?
Fusion research is not new, yet Musk’s tweet has reignited it as an important public debate. Fusion is an extremely complex issue involving many technical, economic, and societal considerations that have no clear consensus as to whether or not it is feasible, desirable, or necessary.
Fusion holds immense promise and could revolutionize humanity by providing an abundant, clean energy source that is safe and sustainable if successful. Furthermore, fusion could help address some of humanity’s major issues such as climate change, energy security and poverty.
Fusion remains an ambitious goal that won’t come easily; it requires extensive research, investment, collaboration and vision to bring about. Musk himself stated in a tweet, “It is cool and can and must be achieved.”
Fusion remains uncertain but exciting; perhaps one day we will witness Musk tweet that “I was wrong about fusion. It’s amazing!”
