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Title:
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The long-term potential of fusion power in Western Europe: MARKAL scenarios until 2100
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Author(s):
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Published by:
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Publication date:
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ECN
Policy Studies
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1-12-1998
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ECN report number:
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Document type:
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ECN-C--98-071
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ECN publication
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Number of pages:
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Full text:
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93
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Download PDF
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Abstract:
Fusion energy research has made remarkable, but not always widelynoticed, progress in the last forty years. Such progress is very important
because of the enormous long term potential (beyond 2050) of fusion power.
However, it is a prerequisite, not a warrant, for commercial fusion power.
During the next decades, substantial investments are required in order to
develop, demonstrate and eventually commercialise fusion power, starting with
the next experimental fusion reactor ITER. If decisions with large financial
consequences are at stake, it could be worthwhile to reconsider the motives
for the development of fusion power. Under those circumstances a programme of
socio-economic research on fusion energy (SERF) has been adopted by the
European Union (DG XII). The European Commission requests an analysis of the
potential role of fusion energy in the second half of the 21st century.
Within this programme the following Macro tasks are carried out: Long term
scenarios, Production costs, External costs and benefits, Fusion as a large
technical system, and Fusion and the public opinion. This report serves as a
synthesis and is the follow-up of an interim report on the role of fusion
power in energy scenarios, in which the method for analysing fusion power's
economic potential is also presented. Both the present study and the interim
report contribute to first fore-mentioned Macro task, as do the (ensuing)
studies from the following institutes: Arge Waermetechnik, Graz, Austria; FZ
Juelich, Germany; Risoe, Denmark; and CEA-Lemme, Toulouse, France. 63 refs.
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