{"id":655960,"date":"2025-03-06T13:00:30","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/renaissance-fusion-raises-e32m-to-radically-simplify-complex-fusion-reactors\/"},"modified":"2025-03-06T13:00:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T10:00:30","slug":"renaissance-fusion-raises-e32m-to-radically-simplify-complex-fusion-reactors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/renaissance-fusion-raises-e32m-to-radically-simplify-complex-fusion-reactors\/","title":{"rendered":"#Renaissance Fusion raises \u20ac32M to radically simplify complex fusion reactors"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e66ccadc6b\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e66ccadc6b\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/renaissance-fusion-raises-e32m-to-radically-simplify-complex-fusion-reactors\/#Fusion_with_a_twist\" >Fusion with a twist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/renaissance-fusion-raises-e32m-to-radically-simplify-complex-fusion-reactors\/#Magnetic_carpets\" >Magnetic carpets<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fusion power startups have long been stalked by one stubborn question: Will the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> work?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But now, with net-positive fusion power no longer the stuff of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> fiction, a fresh crop of startups have been founded on more mundane questions: Can reactors be built for less money? How can maintenance be made simpler? The answers could mean the difference between\u00a0 profitability and failure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Francesco Volpe hopes they will be, at least. The founder and CTO of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/renfusion.eu\/\">Renaissance Fusion<\/a> has been studying fusion for decades. He has drawn inspiration from various projects over the years, which have culminated in a unique take on a fusion reactor design that\u2019s attracting the attention of investors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Renaissance raised a \u20ac32 million <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Series<\/a> A1, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The round was led by Cr\u00e9dit Mutuel Impact\u2019s <em>R\u00e9volution Environnementale et Solidaire<\/em> fund with participation from Lowercarbon Capital. The startup plans to use those funds to build a demonstrator that should prove the basic parts of its novel design.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fusion-with-a-twist\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fusion_with_a_twist\"><\/span>Fusion with a twist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fusion power promises to generate large amounts of clean electricity from an abundant source of fuel. Most fusion startups are pursuing one of two <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roaches: inertial confinement, where lasers compress fuel pellets to ignite fusion pulses, and magnetic confinement, where large magnets corral plasma into long-burning fusion reactions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stellarators, the kind which Volpe is designing, belong in the latter camp. They are defined by their seemingly random twists and bulges that are meant to stabilize the plasma by working with its quirks rather than fighting against them. One major experiment in Germany has proven the validity of the concept, but its convoluted magnets were challenging to manufacture.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Grenoble-based Renaissance set out to simplify the stellarator. It isn\u2019t the only company to try to do so \u2014 Thea Energy is another \u2014 and its approach blends rather than reinvents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The startup\u2019s reactor design looks like a polygon of segmented tubes, each decorated with etchings that resemble lines on a topographic map. But the lines aren\u2019t frippery; instead, they demarcate the high-temperature super conducting (HTS) magnets that define the quirky contours of the plasma inside.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI really wanted to simplify these to the bare minimum,\u201d Volpe told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first simplification \u2014 the segmented tubes \u2014 was inspired by his graduate research using Wendelstein 7-AS, an experimental stellarator.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you look at that from the top, you kind of recognize a pentagonal form,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I thought, why don\u2019t we push this to the limit. Let\u2019s literally make cylinders \u2014 not approximate cylinders, but actual cylinders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other reactor designs use cylinders, but they tend to shape plasma into a doughnut shape, not the radical curves that define a stellarator. To give his design the necessary twists, Volpe drew on the work of a Spanish colleague, who 3D printed a scaffold to guide cheap, flexible cables into the form of a stellarator. The cables were far simpler to make than most stellarators\u2019 complex magnets, but the 3D printing part wasn\u2019t quite as commercializable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Volpe simplified the idea further. Rather than replicate the plasma\u2019s complexity in three-dimensional magnets, he flattened them. The tubes in Renaissance\u2019s\u00a0 design will be coated with wide sheets of HTS magnets. Into that coating, a laser will etch a series of thin, meandering lines that encircle the tube. These lines will separate one magnet from the next.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At points where the superconducting s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>es are wider, the magnetic field will be stronger. They\u2019ll push back harder against the plasma in the tube. Where the material is thinner, the magnetic field will be weaker, allowing the plasma to bulge. The exact shape of the plasma will be determined by advanced computer simulations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To protect the tubes from neutrons flying out of the fusion reaction, Renaissance will bathe the inside with liquid lithium. To make sure the liquid flows against the wall and doesn\u2019t drip onto the plasma, the company applies an electric current to the liquid metal, giving it a magnetic field that will draw it to the powerful magnets on the outside of the tubes. Suspended within the liquid, small spheres containing molten lead will absorb a portion of the neutron bombardment. The liquid blanket will also do triple duty by breeding more fuel for the reactor and transferring heat to power steam turbines.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-magnetic-carpets\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Magnetic_carpets\"><\/span><strong>Magnetic carpets<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Volpe said that Renaissance is on track to produce wide HTS \u201ccarpets\u201d in the coming months. A demonstrator, which will integrate tubular HTS magnets and liquid lithium walls, should be ready by the end of 2026. Volpe hopes that the startup can build a complete stellarator by the early 2030s, a timeline that\u2019s similar to other fusion startups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Volpe hopes the demonstrator will prove that the concept is greater than the sum of its parts, each of which were promising on their own but together could pave the way to a cheaper fusion reactor. \u201cYou connect the dots. It\u2019s the essence of inspiration,\u201d Volpe said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/03\/06\/renaissance-fusion-raises-e32m-to-radically-simplify-complex-fusion-reactors\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fusion power startups have long been stalked by one stubborn question: Will the technology work?\u00a0 But now, with net-positive fusion power no longer the stuff of science fiction, a fresh crop of startups have been founded on more mundane questions: Can reactors be built for less money? How can maintenance be made simpler? The answers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":655961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/renaissance-fusion-test-equipment.jpeg?resize=1200,952","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[77143,61594,74839,151854,154732,71836,154733],"class_list":["post-655960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-climate","tag-exclusive","tag-fundraising","tag-fusion-power","tag-lowercarbon-capital","tag-nuclear-fusion","tag-renaissance-fusion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/655961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}