Fusion Breeding: An Old, New Strategic Opportunity for Fusion

This article reviews the case for fusion breeding that the author has made over more than the last 15 years. It shows that even stipulating maximum success or ITER or NIF, pure fusion is nowhere near ready to provide economical power. Fusion breeding, using a device like one or both of these machines just might. A new direction for the American MFE base program is proposed. Fusion breeding could be a short cut which could cut out decades and decades from the development of pure fusion. Fusion breeding allows a midcentury power source, one which is carbon free, sustainable, economical, environmentally sound and have litte or no proliferation risk.