Clean energy

Fusion Power has been “thirty years away” for more than thirty years now, due to a combination of lack of funding and public apprehension about anything with the word “nuclear” appended to it. What would it take to change that?

(#00098)

“What, all of it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Even the shale?”

“Yes, sir.”

All of the coal. All of the oil.”

Weatherby began to wonder how many different ways he had to tell the man. “Yes, sir.”

“Even the stuff we’d already refined.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And the stuff in the power plants?”

“Yes sir. All the coal. All the oil. Even the uranium.”

“But– what have we got left?”

“Solar and wind power will only go so far, sir. I’m afraid… the fusion plan is the only viable one.”

“Fusion.”

“Yes, sir,” said Weatherby, fully prepared for round two.

“We’ve been sitting on fusion for over thirty years.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We even went so far as to sabotage every last one of those cold fusion dingbats who looked like they were having a success…”

“Yes, sir.”

“And we bought every patent.”

“Yes, sir.”

The big man sighed. He leaned back and stared out the window. “Making do with methane from landfills won’t even last ten years.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Damnit.” Another sigh. “We’re going to have to implement the buggers, aren’t we?”

Weatherby won an award for not rolling his eyes. “Yes, sir.”

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