Thanks to artefact for finding this story!
Independent journalist Gwynne Dyer has written a column on the Telegram web site titled “Fuion power: goodbye fossil fuels?” in which he looks at the potential effects on the energy industry if fusion reactors became a reality.
Dyer takes seriously the recent announcement by Lockheed Martin that it was hoping to produce commercial fusion reactors a decade from now. He considers Lockheed to be a credible and powerful player, and also mentions other companies working in the fusion field: EMC2 Fusion Development Corp., Helion Energy, General Fusion, and Tri-Alpha Energy. He considers fusion an idea whose time has come, and sees it having a major impact on coal (it would be “killed off”), gas (“the next to go”), oil (it would go into a “long decline”), and nuclear fission (replaced by fusion plants).
Dyer thinks the impact of fusion could cause civil war in places like Russia, Venezuela and Nigeria, who could face economic ruin, whereas energy importing nations could see economic boom times.
Regarding cold fusion, Dyer writes:
“If you’re not happy with those predictions about “hot” fusion power, here’s something else to cheer you up.
“Cold fusion power, which depends on low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR), was dismissed with much ridicule when it was first mooted in 1989. Now it’s back on the table, and highly reputable organizations like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are taking it seriously.”
“As Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center, said in an interview last year, “Several labs have blown up studying LENR, and windows have melted. … When the conditions are ‘right,’ prodigious amounts of energy can be produced and released.”
“The Age of Wonders is not past.”
Personally, I was not familiar with Gwynne Dyer until now — but I notice his columns are published in major news outlets in 45 countries.
EEStorFanFibb wrote in the Always on thread,
Gwynne Dyer is a force in journalism. He’s a well respected war historian and his column is carried in a lot of newspapers. He is very well connected with establishment players including military big shots. His even mentioning LENR in a column is a milestone. Congrats people!