According to a recent report from ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, “policymakers should not rely on, or fund, fusion power as a core pillar of future clean energy systems” for the two primary current fusion designs (magnetic and laser inertial) because of their low “experience rates” (economies of scale).

Fusion industry professionals already pursuing commercial development discounted these findings. Commonwealth Fusion Systems CEO Bob Mumgaard says ETH Zurich’s authors are unaffiliated with fusion and never spoke to any industry leaders. Helion co-founder Anthony Pancotti, whose company is developing a pulsed, non-ignition fusion system, “absolutely” believes fusion can be affordable and cost-competitive with other energy sources.

Read more in RealClearEnergy here.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.