The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched a new vision to mark the two-year anniversary of the launch of the US Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy.
The DOE Fusion Energy Strategy 2024 was released, marked by an event at the White House co-hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
At the inaugural event where the Bold Decadal Vision was unveiled, DOE launched a Department-wide initiative to develop a strategy for accelerating the viability of commercial fusion energy in partnership with the private sector.
The new strategy is organised around three pillars:
- Closing the science and technology (S&T) gap to a commercially relevant fusion pilot plant
- Repairing the path to sustainable, equitable commercial fusion deployment
- Building and leveraging external partnerships
Reaching the ambitious goals of the Bold Decadal Vision
The White House event aimed to further build awareness and support for fusion energy development by recognising the tangible progress made to reach the ambitious goals of the US Bold Decadal Vision.
“With today’s announcements, DOE has shown once again that we are ambitiously implementing our Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy,” said DOE Deputy Secretary David Turk.
“We will leverage major new advances in technologies such as high-temperature superconductors, advanced materials, and artificial intelligence to accelerate fusion energy.”
$180m funding for innovation in fusion energy
In support of the fusion energy strategy, DOE also announced a $180m funding opportunity for Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives.
The FIRE Collaboratives aim to support the further creation of a fusion innovation ecosystem by forming teams with the collective goal of bridging the Department’s Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) programme’s foundational.
Furthermore, they’ll enable science research that meets the needs of the growing fusion industry, including the technology roadmaps of the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program awardees.
These collaboratives are envisioned as dynamic hubs of innovation to help bolster US-based manufacturing and supply chains, driving advancements in fusion research in collaboration with both public and private entities.
The FIRE Collaboratives Funding Opportunity Announcement can be found on the Funding Opportunities webpage and is open to accredited US colleges and universities, national laboratories, nonprofits, and private companies.
