PNNL

In 2022, the Department of Energy announced a major milestone of successfully achieving ignition in fusion. Now, scientists are working on the next big challenge: developing fusion as a carbon-free energy source delivering electricity to the electric grid. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) took the first step by co-organizing a workshop to discuss the future of fusion energy commercialization. This event, called the “Western US Fusion Commercialization Hub Workshop,” was supported by the Department of Energy’s Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program.

"This workshop was all about bringing stakeholders together to figure out the main barriers to making fusion energy available to everyone," said Maria Sushko, a computational scientist and FES liaison at PNNL.

Sushko co-organized the workshop along with PNNL scientists Karl Mueller and Jana Strasburg, industry partners Kate Kelly from Avalanche Energy, Mel Clark from CleanTech Alliance, and workshop chairs Chris Ajemian from Ajemian Consulting and Chris Keane from Washington State University.

Jean Paul Allain, the associate director of science for FES, talked about the importance of partnerships between the public and private sectors. 

"These partnerships are crucial for progress in fusion energy," said Mueller, the director of the Program Development Office at PNNL. "The private sector will need help, guidance, and support from the public sector to get fusion energy onto the electric grid."

Experts from government, industry, and universities attended the workshop to discuss important topics like developing the workforce, advancing technology and engineering, and engaging the community for the fusion energy economy. After various panel discussions, participants formed small groups to brainstorm ideas on each topic.

Strasburg led these groups using methods developed in PNNL’s Innovation Foundry, a special program at PNNL. 

"The Innovation Foundry was created to inspire creative ideas and solutions," said Strasburg, who who works as an advisor in the National Security Directorate. "We used these methods to come up with ideas for technical development, community benefits, and workforce planning for fusion energy."

People from different sectors shared their unique skills and perspectives in the working groups to create a strategic plan for fusion energy. PNNL researchers contributed their technical expertise and knowledge about workforce development needed to integrate fusion energy into the electric grid.

Javier Garay and Farhat Beg from the University of California San Diego, E. Michael Campbell from MCM Consultants, Roberto Mancini from the University of Nevada, Reno, and Carmen Menoni from Colorado State University also contributed to organizing the workshop. A follow-up workshop is being planned for early 2025.