The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has awarded a grant to HB11 Energy as part of its ‘Innovation Network for Fusion Energy’ (INFUSE) program. The objective of the program is to accelerate basic research and develop cost-effective, innovative fusion energy technologies in the private sector.
HB11 Energy will have access to expertise from the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at the University of Rochester, a partner of the National Ignition Facility. The research will focus on innovative hydrogen-boron fuel targets in order to develop clean and safe fusion energy.
Max Tabak, considered the father of the fast ignition laser fusion concept, has joined the HB11 Energy team as well.
INFUSE is one of the first public-private partnership programs established to accelerate fusion energy research and development in collaboration with the private sector. The U.S. Department of Energy plans to expand this program based on the NASA COTS program, which supported SpaceX and the establishment of the commercial space launch industry.
The project aims to develop hydrogen-boron as an alternative fuel for fusion. Unlike other fusion approaches that use deuterium-tritium, hydrogen-boron faces fewer economic viability challenges. HB11 Energy’s technology utilizes a laser to drive the aneutronic hydrogen-boron-11 fusion reaction, providing a clean, safe, reliable, and virtually unlimited source of energy with abundant fuels and minimal harmful waste.
HB11 Energy sees this grant as a significant step towards realizing their goal of hydrogen-boron fusion energy generation. They believe that their approach, previously considered impossible, offers a less complicated and more cost-effective pathway to a fully functioning fusion energy reactor. If successful, HB11 Energy’s technology could become the safest, most economical, and lowest-carbon source of abundant clean energy.
HB11 Energy is dedicated to creating a future of clean energy that is safe, reliable, and unlimited. Their nuclear fusion reactors use laser technology to fuse hydrogen and boron-11, harnessing the abundance of these elements and minimizing harmful waste.