How long until we hit PL 6?

kenobi65 · Jul 17, 2006

Utah has been at PL 6 since 1989.

Eternal Knot Games · Jul 18, 2006

A source, cannot find it again, said that steam trains could have been invented in Greek/Roman times (and they did have a working steam engine, to open temple doors) but it was not because they were unable to find anything else to do with the slaves...

So it could be 5 years or 400 years depending on politics more than anything else.

Old Gumphrey · Jul 21, 2006

Who says fusion is even the next step? There could be an amazing unheard of breakthrough in the next 5 years that changes everything from here on out.

kenobi65 · Jul 21, 2006

Old Gumphrey said:
Who says fusion is even the next step? There could be an amazing unheard of breakthrough in the next 5 years that changes everything from here on out.

Well, certainly anything is possible...but the conventional wisdom seems to be that controlled fusion is the next logical step.

Meloncov · Jul 27, 2006

Optimistically, we will have safe, efficent (as in, actually makes more energy then it uses) fusion plants within a decade. The big issue, however, is economics. The tokomak plants that are used today to create fusion reactions are obsenely expensive; in the billions of dollars per unit. While mass producing them will drop the cost some, it'll still be a while before fusion is economicly sound.