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Fusion power has always been a bit of a contradiction. The fusion part is actually kind of easy \u2014\u00a0an undergrad recently built<\/a> a simple fusion device<\/a> in his bedroom, for example \u2014 but getting electricity out of the reaction isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cA fusion reactor that makes power \u2014 and there\u2019s plenty of those, they already exist,\u201d Daniel Vel\u00e1squez, materials science lead at Avalanche Energy<\/a>, told TechCrunch. \u201cA fusion reactor that makes electricity is better.\u201d That\u2019s where the nascent industry remains stuck.<\/p>\n Fusion reactions release tremendous amounts of energy by fusing two lighter atoms into a heavier one. But harvesting that energy has proven challenging. The most common approach is to heat water and spin a steam turbine, but that approach isn\u2019t terribly efficient, harnessing at best around 60%<\/a> of the power.<\/p>\n Avalanche Energy thinks it can capture more of that energy by developing new materials known as radiovoltaics. Radiovoltaics are similar to photovoltaics \u2014 traditional solar panels \u2014 in that they use semiconductors to transform radiation into electricity. They\u2019ve been around for a while, but they\u2019re not very effective. Existing radiovoltaics are easily damaged by the very radiation they harness and don\u2019t produce that much electricity.<\/p>\n Today, Avalanche was awarded a $5.2 million contract from DARPA to develop new radiovoltaics, the company exclusively told TechCrunch.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Pentagon research agency is interested in using the materials in a new class of nuclear batteries, which use radioactive decay from materials like polonium to generate electricity. Such devices could help power spacecraft and satellites for several years. They could also be used in more energy intensive terrestrial military applications for days on end \u2014 \u201cin particular for autonomous systems or missions where logistics are a little bit impermissible,\u201d Vel\u00e1squez said.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not exactly what Avalanche is building toward as a company, but the DARPA award does overlap with its ambitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco, CA<\/span> For one, fusion reactions and nuclear batteries both produce alpha particles, a type of radiation that\u2019s so energetic it can damage all kinds of equipment, including the wall of a nuclear reactor. Second, Avalanche is developing a desktop-scale fusion reactor<\/a> that could replace diesel generators at remote military bases.<\/p>\n If the company can develop a new radiovoltaic for a nuclear battery, it could apply that knowledge to a new reactor part. Such a sheathing would help capture the alpha particles, protecting the reactor while boosting the amount of electricity it produces. Avalanche also won a $1.25 million award from the U.S. Air Force\u2019s AFWERX research lab to use computational advances to speed materials discovery.<\/p>\n Fusion startups are all racing to achieve a milestone known as breakeven, which in the scientific world is known as Q>1, where Q is the ratio of power produced by the fusion reaction to the power required to sustain it. Putting those alpha particles to work generating electricity would potentially make commercial fusion power easier to attain.<\/p>\n Avalanche isn\u2019t the only company with a reactor design that will produce alpha particles. If it succeeds, the company could find itself supplying other fusion companies with the technology, a trend that\u2019s emerging<\/a> within the industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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