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by smaddox 845 days ago
If tokomaks worked as well as Rockets, then I would agree. But the age of a technology does become relevant when you're discussing the history and development trajectory. The trajectory for FRC's looks far more promising. Direct electric conversion reduces the required efficiency by ~2x and the use of a low-neutron emissions fuel dramatically reduces shielding complexity and maintenance costs. And FRC requires much smaller reactors to reach net positive energy. Even considering high-temperature superconducting tokomaks, FRC's appear far more promising.