Meeting/Event Information

May 2022 - Future of Fusion

Free Zoom Meeting

Wednesday, May 4th at 1:30PM

Click Here to Register for Free

Over the past decade, strides made in the field of nuclear fusion (not to be confused with fission) have been remarkable, generating realistic expectations that fast-growing worldwide energy demand could potentially be met with a virtually infinite source of safe, clean energy, and within most of our lifetimes. It is often said that nuclear fusion is always 30 years away from becoming a practical reality. But with recent strides in research, new materials, composites, superconductors, other component advances, and fantastic private venture investment, we are ahead of that prediction, with 20 years being widely seen as conservative and some highly respected experts projecting just 5 or 10 years.  

The implications of utility scale fusion, even 20 years from now, are still wildly dramatic to our industry and critical to the human story. The technology has reached a point where we feel the energy community should take notice. Please join Dr. Omar Hurricane, Chief Scientist for the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Ben Byboth, Business Development and Strategy Head at Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a Boston based MIT offshoot that recently received one of, if not still the largest private venture investment in the State's history, to learn about the basic science behind fusion, how the threshold to generate power is reached, the significant challenges and engineering hurdles ahead of any utility scale adoption and, perhaps most critically, the speaker’s varying assessments around if, how and when fusion becomes a viable energy source for the public.  

Speaker Bios

Dr. Hurricane is Chief Scientist for the Inertial Confinement Fusion Program and “Distinguished Member” of the Technical Staff at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Design Physics (DP) Division. He is a designer and high-energy-density physicist of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research and the ICF program Chief Scientist and Integrated Experiments Lead. Dr. Hurricane has been with Lawrence Livermore, using complex multi-physics simulations to design experiments and engineered devices for over 23 years. Within that time Dr. Hurricane managed a 10 year program called Energy Balance to solve long standing challenges in nuclear technology. He is a physicist and mathematician, skilled in analytical theory, mathematical modeling, computational physics, plasma physics, hydrodynamics, mechanics, electromagnetic's, and technical writing in LaTeX, with degrees in Physics and Applied Mathematics from Metro State University of Denver, with a Physic Fellowship at UC Irvine, and his MS and PhD in Physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, studying as a U.S. Dept. of Energy Magnetic Fusion Science Fellow and later sitting as a Visiting Scholar to Stanford University. 

Mr. Byboth leads early-stage commercial strategy for Commonwealth Fusion Systems’, power business unit, developing strategies to deploy commercial fusion power and leading the market analysis, development and strategy to execute the fastest possible market adoption of ARC power plants. Previous to Commonwealth, Ben served as Director of Grid Modernization at Eversource and, prior to that, served multiple rolls at Entergy over the course of six years, ultimately being promoted to Senior Manager of Innovation. Early in his career Ben served as a nuclear systems analyst and operator with NextEra. He served as an Electricians Mate First Class Electrical (SS) (SRO/EWS) in the US Navy, Engineering Watch Supervisor, Engineering Department Training Coordinator and Leading Petty Officer, Reactor Shutdown Operator, with over 1,000 days underwater, and went on to his BS in Nuclear Engineering Technologies from Thomas Edison State University and an MBA in Strategic Management and International Business from Tulane.

Meeting Manager

Mr. Pimentel oversees the integrated solutions business in New England for Centrica Business Solutions, a division of Centrica plc, whole owner of British Gas.   Chris is an energy efficiency professional with over 14 years of energy services experience under financed, performance based contracting models, leveraged to pay for budget neutral infrastructure upgrades. Possessing both a legal and technical background, he combines broad level energy resource management expertise with a detailed understanding of the related contract vehicles, business models and financial tools to best help owners and facility managers design, finance, and implement comprehensive, budget neutral sustainability projects. 

Chris offers guidance and partnership through the energy evolution we're living and provides wholesale management through ESPC, PPA, TELP or SESA's at streamlined costs. With Centrica, he helps address electrification and associated resilient electrification infrastructure requirements, lighting and efficient equipment upgrades, all flavors of energy efficiency, demand response and distributed energy generation, all with no upfront costs, funded with saving that may exceed payment requirements.