1. | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY |
1.1. | Overview of the fusion energy market |
1.2. | Technical primer - what is nuclear fusion? |
1.3. | Drivers behind the recent emergence of commercial fusion |
1.4. | Long term visions for fusion and limits to its growth rate |
1.5. | Fusion must compete with other power sources |
1.6. | Fusion has the potential to meet data center power demands |
1.7. | Is fusion the 'space race' of the 21st century? |
1.8. | Fundamental differences between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission |
1.9. | Fusion regulation is separating from fission regulation and needs international harmonization |
1.10. | Fusion reactors are categorized by their confinement mechanism |
1.11. | Commercial fusion market landscape by reactor approach |
1.12. | Timeline of major players in commercial fusion: Tokamaks and stellarators |
1.13. | Timeline of major players in commercial fusion: Field-reversed configurations, inertial, magneto-inertial and z-pinch reactors |
1.14. | When do fusion startups expect their first power plant to be deployed? |
1.15. | Benchmarking fusion approaches - results normalized 0 to 1 (no weighting) |
1.16. | Conclusions from benchmarking scheme for commercial fusion |
1.17. | Key materials and components for fusion |
1.18. | Overview of the 2G HTS (ReBCO) tape value chain in fusion |
1.19. | Inertial confinement fusion faces challenges in scaling up components |
1.20. | Overview of the fusion breeder blanket material value chain |
1.21. | Key takeaways for lithium use in fusion |
1.22. | Analysis of fuels used in commercial fusion |
1.23. | 3 key takeaways for materials opportunities in fusion |
1.24. | Company landscape beyond fusion power plant OEMs and materials |
1.25. | How will the commercial fusion market landscape evolve? |
1.26. | Strategies fusion companies can use to encourage investment |
1.27. | Summary of IDTechEx Commercial Fusion Timelines |
1.28. | Access More With an IDTechEx Subscription |
2. | INTRODUCTION |
2.1. | Overview of the fusion energy market |
2.2. | Drivers behind the recent emergence of commercial fusion |
2.3. | Technical Primer |
2.4. | Technical primer - what is nuclear fusion? |
2.5. | Releasing energy and the energy density of fusion |
2.6. | Achieving sustained fusion - the triple product |
2.7. | Electricity production |
2.8. | Q factor - going beyond breakeven |
2.9. | Fusion & Fission |
2.10. | Fundamental differences between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission |
2.11. | Similarities between the fission and fusion industry |
2.12. | Nuclear industry provides engineering services and components for fusion |
2.13. | Regulations for Fusion |
2.14. | The importance of clear and appropriate regulations for fusion |
2.15. | Regulation around the world seeks to recognize fusion as distinct from fission |
2.16. | Europe must turn fusion research and innovation into commercial value |
2.17. | Conclusions for fusion regulation and international harmonization |
3. | MARKET OVERVIEW |
3.1. | Long term visions for fusion and limits to its growth rate |
3.2. | Competition with other power sources |
3.3. | Investment in fusion to meet data center power demands |
3.4. | Is fusion the 'space race' of the 21st century? |
3.5. | Commercial Landscape by Reactor Class |
3.6. | Fusion approaches are categorized by their confinement mechanism |
3.7. | Market landscape by reactor type |
3.8. | Fuels in Commercial Fusion |
3.9. | Reactions in commercial fusion |
3.10. | Commercial fusion market landscape by fuel |
3.11. | Tritium supply and self-sufficiency is a major concern for D-T reactors |
3.12. | Supply of other fusion fuels: Deuterium, helium-3, and boron |
3.13. | Analysis of fuels used in commercial fusion |
3.14. | Other Fusion Players |
3.15. | Company landscape beyond fusion power plant OEMs and materials |
3.16. | The importance of AI: Building trust in surrogate models |
4. | BENCHMARKING & TIMELINES |
4.1. | Chapter overview: Benchmarking and timelines |
4.2. | Benchmarking Commercial Fusion Approaches |
4.3. | Identifying the seven leading approaches to commercial fusion |
4.4. | The benchmarking process |
4.5. | Metrics used for the benchmarking scheme |
4.6. | Benchmarking - results normalized 0 to 1 (no weighting) - table |
4.7. | Benchmarking - results normalized 0 to 1 (no weighting) - radar chart |
4.8. | Benchmarking commercial fusion approaches - weighted totals |
4.9. | Which fusion approaches are underfunded relative to their benchmarking results? |
4.10. | Funding landscapes vary drastically by approach |
4.11. | Comparing tokamak and stellarator benchmarking results |
4.12. | Breaking down the weighted benchmarks |
4.13. | Weightings used for the benchmarking scheme |
4.14. | Benchmarking commercial fusion approaches - raw data |
4.15. | Important metrics that could not be used in this benchmarking scheme |
4.16. | Conclusions from benchmarking scheme |
4.17. | Commercial Fusion Player Roadmaps |
4.18. | Timeline of major players in commercial fusion: Tokamaks and stellarators |
4.19. | Timeline of major players in commercial fusion: Field-reversed configurations, inertial, magneto-inertial and z-pinch reactors |
4.20. | When do fusion startups expect their first power plant to be deployed? |
4.21. | Funding for commercial fusion by approach (to date) |
4.22. | IDTechEx Commercial Fusion Timelines |
4.23. | IDTechEx Commercial Fusion Timeline: Approaches to fusion |
4.24. | IDTechEx Commercial Fusion Timeline: Fuels for fusion |
4.25. | IDTechEx Commercial Fusion Timeline: The cost of fusion energy |
4.26. | Summary of IDTechEx Commercial Fusion Timelines |
5. | FUSION APPROACHES AND KEY PLAYERS |
5.1.1. | Overview of fusion approaches covered in this chapter |
5.2. | Magnetic Confinement Fusion: Technologies, Key Players |
5.2.1. | Chapter overview: Magnetic confinement fusion |
5.2.2. | Tokamaks and Spherical Tokamaks |
5.2.3. | Operating principles of tokamaks |
5.2.4. | International collaboration on ITER |
5.2.5. | The 5 aims of ITER |
5.2.6. | Next steps after ITER - the DEMO generation |
5.2.7. | Progress and delays on ITER with a new timeline |
5.2.8. | Is ITER too large for its own good? |
5.2.9. | Timeline of commercial tokamak fusion |
5.2.10. | Timeline of commercial spherical tokamak fusion |
5.2.11. | SWOT analysis: Tokamaks and spherical tokamaks |
5.2.12. | Stellarators |
5.2.13. | Principles of stellarators |
5.2.14. | Stellarator vs tokamak |
5.2.15. | Germany and Europe as the home of stellarators |
5.2.16. | Timeline of commercial stellarator fusion - part 1 |
5.2.17. | Timeline of commercial stellarator fusion - part 2 |
5.2.18. | SWOT analysis: Stellarators |
5.2.19. | Field-Reversed Configurations |
5.2.20. | Principles of field-reversed configurations |
5.2.21. | Principles of magneto-inertial field-reversed configurations (Helion Energy) |
5.2.22. | Timeline of commercial field-reversed configuration fusion |
5.2.23. | SWOT analysis: Field-reversed configurations |
5.3. | Inertial Confinement Fusion: Technologies, Key Players |
5.3.1. | Principles of inertial confinement fusion |
5.3.2. | Laser Driven Inertial Confinement Reactors |
5.3.3. | Principles of laser-driven inertial confinement fusion |
5.3.4. | The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab: Progress from first ignition |
5.3.5. | Is a real-world inertial confinement fusion powerplant feasible? (Targets) |
5.3.6. | Is a real-world inertial confinement fusion powerplant feasible? (Lasers) |
5.3.7. | Laser-driven fusion faces two huge hurdles to commercialisation - lasers |
5.3.8. | Laser-driven fusion faces two huge hurdles to commercialisation - targets |
5.3.9. | Timeline of laser-driven inertial confinement fusion |
5.3.10. | SWOT analysis: Laser-driven inertial confinement fusion |
5.4. | Magneto-Inertial Confinement and Z-Pinch Fusion: Technologies, Key Players |
5.4.1. | Introduction to this chapter of the report |
5.4.2. | Timeline of magneto-inertial confinement and z-pinch fusion |
5.4.3. | Pulsed Magnetic Fusion |
5.4.4. | Technical overview of pulsed magnetic fusion |
5.4.5. | SWOT analysis: Pulsed magnetic fusion |
5.4.6. | Z-Pinch Fusion |
5.4.7. | Technical overview of z-pinch fusion |
5.4.8. | SWOT analysis: Z-pinch reactors |
5.4.9. | Magnetized Target Fusion |
5.4.10. | Technical overview of magnetized target fusion |
5.4.11. | SWOT analysis: Magnetized target fusion |
6. | MATERIALS OPPORTUNITIES AND COMPONENTS FOR FUSION |
6.1. | Key materials and components for fusion |
6.2. | High-temperature superconductors (HTS) |
6.3. | High-temperature superconductors |
6.4. | Production process of HTS tape |
6.5. | Overview of the 2G HTS (ReBCO) tape value chain in fusion |
6.6. | Global demand for HTS tape expected to grow |
6.7. | SWOT analysis: 2G HTS tape for fusion |
6.8. | Key takeaways for high-temperature superconductors (HTS) in fusion |
6.9. | Plasma Facing Materials (PFMs) |
6.10. | Plasma facing materials - the first wall problem |
6.11. | Two solutions to the first wall problem: Tungsten and lithium |
6.12. | Blanket Materials (Breeder Blankets) |
6.13. | Introduction to breeder blankets |
6.14. | Breeder blanket materials: Ceramics, liquid metals, and molten salts |
6.15. | Solid-state vs fluid blanket materials |
6.16. | Breeder blankets are currently one of the lowest TRL components |
6.17. | Overview of the fusion breeder blanket material value chain |
6.18. | Lithium demand in fusion |
6.19. | Demand for separation of lithium isotopes |
6.20. | Alternatives to the COLEX process for enriching lithium-6 |
6.21. | Comparison of lithium separation methods |
6.22. | Current lithium demand is dominated by battery markets |
6.23. | Outlook of lithium supply vs demand towards 2035 |
6.24. | Modelling lithium use in fusion power plants |
6.25. | Key takeaways for lithium use in fusion |
6.26. | Additional Key Components for Fusion |
6.27. | Specialized components for fusion - capacitors, power electronics and vacuum systems |
6.28. | Summary of key components for inertial fusion |
6.29. | Materials and Components for Fusion - Conclusions |
6.30. | China's influence on tungsten and other critical minerals for fusion |
6.31. | Public funding and mutual support is essential to overcome the chicken-egg problem |
6.32. | Case study: Gauss Fusion stellarator plant |
6.33. | 3 key takeaways for materials opportunities in fusion |
7. | BUSINESS MODELS AND FUNDING STRATEGIES IN FUSION |
7.1. | How will the commercial fusion market landscape evolve? |
7.2. | Secondary and alternative business models in fusion |
7.3. | Case study: Alpha Ring commercializing fusion for education & materials research |
7.4. | Fusion startups create value at every step in development |
7.5. | Fusion can provide process heat directly to industry |
7.6. | More common fusion approaches share the burden of securing supply |
7.7. | Investment in Fusion |
7.8. | Enabling investment in fusion |
7.9. | Strategies fusion companies can use to encourage investment |
8. | COMPANY PROFILES |
8.1. | Company profiles included in this report |