AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Focused Energy, the German American fusion startup whose investors include Prime Movers Lab, Alex Rodriguez, Marc Lore, and Tony Florence of New Enterprise Associates, is celebrating the progress it has made toward an inexhaustible clean energy source in the past year.
The company’s anniversary comes just ahead of the one-year commemoration of the breakthrough at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California last August, in which a tiny pellet of deuterium and tritium released more energy than it absorbed from the laser energy used to spark the fusion ignition reaction. In just one year, it has become clear not only that fusion is viable, but that modern lasers provide the most realistic direction for the commercial use of this energy source.
"Fusion is one of the most exciting challenges of our time, and we’re so proud to be leading the charge in terms of viability for successful ignition and commercialization with the best team out there," said Thomas Forner, co-founder and CEO of Focused Energy. “There’s more that can be done with fusion technology, as well, from increasing the safety of fission reactors to detecting hidden land mines. The work we’re doing is crucial in terms of the climate crisis, but also stands to benefit society in unexpected ways”
“I joined Focused Energy because I want to see fusion energy happen and I think I can help Focused Energy do that,” said Debra Callahan, Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award recipient and incoming Scientific Director at Focused Energy. “Focused Energy is assembling an excellent team and I want to be part of it.”
Looking ahead, the company’s mission is to increase the energy output from that ignition many times over. To achieve this, Focused Energy has spent the past year shoring up its technological, personnel, and industry credentials and capabilities:
- Technology advancements: Focused Energy has developed many technologies currently in experimental use. These include laser amplifiers, target positioning robots and novel diagnostics for the experiments. The target laboratory in Darmstadt, ownership of which was recently transferred from the TU to Focused Energy, is also already producing targets. The lab is considered one of the world's leading and was co-founded by Todd Ditmire and Markus Roth.
- Hire of top scientists: Many top scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL) are now at Focused Energy. These include former director Bill Goldstein, Prav Patel, one of LLNL's chief scientists, and most recently Debra Callahan, a leading expert in simulation and modeling of the fusion targets who designed the laser shot that made the breakthrough in laser fusion last year. Two of Focused Energy's founders, Todd Ditmire and Markus Roth, were instrumental in developing the laser systems in Livermore. Ditmire also developed the more modern, more powerful laser at the renowned ELI Laser Center in Prague.
- Industry recognition: Focused Energy has already been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of the top potential partners for a public-private partnership. The company was also included in the White House‘s Fusion Summit in March 2022.
What’s next for fusion energy
In autumn 2022, a first experiment will take place at the ELI Laser Center in Prague using Focused Energy's laser technology to generate high repetition rate plasmas for fusion experiments. This marks another milestone on the road to bringing solar energy to Earth.
Focused Energy is also currently developing the technology for a pilot plant together with renowned companies. This will be built by the end of the decade and will serve as a "proof of concept" for the unique laser ignition approach to controlled nuclear fusion.
Industry and manufacturing relationships include Schott, which will build the special glasses and Zeiss will build the special optics; Merck will supply raw materials and special chemicals for target production, and Heraeus will coat the targets with precious metals.
Starting in the mid-2030s, the first commercial power plants will generate inexpensive electricity from the fusion of hydrogen into helium.
For more information about the status of fusion energy and other commercial applications of laser technology, visit https://www.focused-energy.world/
About Focused Energy
Focused Energy is a German American company spun off from the Technical University of Darmstadt in 2021 that will enable safe, clean, and virtually inexhaustible energy production through laser-based nuclear fusion in just a few years. The young company is based in Darmstadt and in Austin/Texas and employs the best minds from relevant research institutes and universities in Europe and the USA. Focused Energy uses the experience of its founders gained over the past 30 years in fusion research, coupled with the speed of a young German American company and private investment, to bring laser-based fusion to market and satisfy the world's hunger for energy.
