A Sputnik Moment: The Time for Fusion Power
Americans love to be challenged. It’s in our DNA. It’s part of who we are. It comes from being an immigrant nation with a lingering inferiority complex. We’ve been hungry throughout our history. Whether it was the War for Independence, the Louisiana Purchase, our rise to power in the early 20th century, the challenges of fascism and communism, or the task of putting a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth, the bigger the challenge, the more the enthusiasm with which we meet it.
I’ve been pondering this aspect of the American character for years–since my earliest exposure to the “Frontier Thesis” in American history. We are at our best when we have great purpose.
In tonight’s State of the Union address, President Obama will reportedly say:
Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik¸ we had no idea how we’d beat them to the moon. The science wasn’t there yet. NASA didn’t even exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn’t just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. This is our generation’s Sputnik moment.
But without great purpose, without a goal to achieve bigger than “fiscal responsibility,” I don’t see the will to sustain any effort.
So now I want to propose the goal: electricity from fusion energy in 20 years.
Ambitious? Yes.
Expensive? Not as much as you would think.
Doable? Yes.
These are the conclusions of a white paper we just finished.
The question isn’t whether fusion energy will power the world in the second half of the century. The question is who does it first and reaps the benefits of global energy leadership? I’m tired of the United States depending on others. As the discussion over this Sputnik moment emerges, I hope that energy in general, and fusion energy in particular, are at the heart of this debate.
