If there is anything thoroughly Snake Oil in modern currency, it's Tokamak Fusion.
"Give us enough billions, we'll have one working in 2050. Or 2060, or someday. It won't produce any power, oh no, of course not. But give us ten times more money after 2050 (or 2060) and by 2100, or 2140, or anyway someday maybe, we will have a prototype power station for you.
"Sure, it will cost a hundred times as much for each kW-hr as whatever you will be using by then—and the plant will destroy itself after only two years—but it will be fusion power. And that will be so cool!"
Tokamak fusion is mainly a jobs program for hot-neutron physicists, to maintain a population ready to draw on for weapons work, but is also a massive boondoggle providing a steady flow of corruption money to well-connected pockets. (Hot-neutron physicists are not getting the $billions.) Every cent spent on Tokamak fusion is stolen from actually practical work.
So don't talk to me about snake-oil until after you kill Tokamak.
"Give us enough billions, we'll have one working in 2050. Or 2060, or someday. It won't produce any power, oh no, of course not. But give us ten times more money after 2050 (or 2060) and by 2100, or 2140, or anyway someday maybe, we will have a prototype power station for you.
"Sure, it will cost a hundred times as much for each kW-hr as whatever you will be using by then—and the plant will destroy itself after only two years—but it will be fusion power. And that will be so cool!"
Tokamak fusion is mainly a jobs program for hot-neutron physicists, to maintain a population ready to draw on for weapons work, but is also a massive boondoggle providing a steady flow of corruption money to well-connected pockets. (Hot-neutron physicists are not getting the $billions.) Every cent spent on Tokamak fusion is stolen from actually practical work.
So don't talk to me about snake-oil until after you kill Tokamak.