Fusion power startups have long been stalked by one stubborn question: Will the technology work?
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 could mean the difference between profitability and failure.
Francesco Volpe hopes they will be, at least. The founder and CTO of Renaissance Fusion has been studying fusion for decades. He has drawn…