TAE Technologies’ hydrogen-boron fusion reactor will reach temperatures close to one billion degrees Celsius upon completion.
The sixth-generation Copernicus reactor can produce clean energy by the middle of this decade. (Photo: TAE)
TAE Technologies announced on August 12 that it has secured sufficient investment capital for the construction of its next research reactor named Copernicus. Previously, TAE achieved temperatures exceeding 75 million degrees Celsius and demonstrated real-time plasma control capabilities with the design of its advanced fusion reactor known as Norman.
As a pioneer in hydrogen-boron fusion, TAE’s method, which does not produce radioactive waste, is the fastest, most feasible, and efficient way to supply large amounts of electricity to the grid. With the Copernicus reactor, TAE aims to establish a facility covering 1,076,391 square meters in Irvine, California, to demonstrate that its field-reversed configuration (FRC) can generate clean energy, the final step toward commercializing clean fusion energy. Upon completion, Copernicus could achieve temperatures close to one billion degrees Celsius.
The Norman reactor, developed by TAE, maintains plasma at temperatures of 30 million degrees Celsius and was launched in 2017. This machine has shown the ability to maintain stable plasma above 75 million degrees Celsius, exceeding its original target by 250% after five years of experimentation.
To date, TAE has raised a total of $1.2 billion in investment for the development of commercial fusion reactors. The company aims to provide long-term solutions for the rapidly increasing global electricity demand. With no carbon emissions or fine dust, TAE’s safe method minimizes any negative impact on the environment or climate change. The company’s latest investors include Chevron, Google, Reimagined Ventures, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, and TIFF Investment Management.
