Summary
A U.S. government agency, ARPA-E, plans to invest a record $135 million in fusion energy development over the next 18 months. This comes as President Trump proposes budget cuts to other federal fusion programs. The funding aims to tackle technical challenges to make fusion a viable energy source.
Key Facts
- ARPA-E will spend $135 million on fusion energy projects.
- This is the largest single investment in fusion by the agency.
- Fusion energy aims to replicate the power of the stars for clean energy.
- President Trump plans to reduce the federal fusion budget from $805 million to $755 million.
- The U.S. and China spend differently on fusion; China invests at least $6.5 billion.
- ARPA-E's goal is to attract private investment with its funding efforts.
- ARPA-E has helped generate $1.5 billion in private spending with its previous $134 million investment.
- Fusion has potential but still needs further development to become commercially viable.
