Slashing new CO2Cheap fusion power. Seriously.
Big Picture
The promise of fusion power — virtually unlimited, zero-carbon, baseload electricity — has eluded scientists for decades because of the immense challenges of sustaining and confining plasma. There are a handful of approaches to this problem, from tokamaks to stellarators, that rely on large magnets to control the flow of plasma. Others use lasers. Yet, these all drive up the cost, size, and complexity of a reactor.
How it Works
Zap is developing a sheared flow Z-Pinch technology that uses high electrical currents to generate a magnetic field around plasma to compress it. “Sheared flow” refers to plasma flowing at different velocities and radii. As current increases, so does pressure and density in the plasma. This results in a dense, high-temperature reactive medium that can be confined long enough for fusion reactions to occur, eliminating the need for magnets.
Unfair Advantage
Without magnets or lasers, reactors can become dramatically smaller, simpler, and cheaper. Zap’s smaller reactor size is expected to produce 200 MW of thermal energy or 50 MW of electricity, a size that lends itself lower capital costs and new applications. In particular, their pulsed system is well-suited to serve distributed energy demand. With a team of world-renowned fusion experts, Zap is positioned to make these reactors a reality.
10
Gigatons of CO₂e
potentially avoided by 2050
BENJ CONWAY CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Benj spent his early career at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office working across Asia and the Middle East as a diplomat. He studied medicine at Cambridge and Oxford.
BRIAN NELSON CTO & CO-FOUNDER
Brian was previously a research professor at the University of Washington. He has researched plasma physics for over 35 years.
URI SHUMLAK CSO & CO-FOUNDER
Uri is a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Washington. His research focuses on plasma physics and confinement.
A Big Step Towards Fusion Energy Is Hailed by a Seattle Start-Up
The New York Times
Zap Energy Nets $160M Series C to advance its lightning-in-a-bottle fusion tech
TechCrunch
Z-pinch fusion moves closer to breakeven
Power Engineering International