Ignition Research sat down with Scott Mercer, CEO of Focused Energy and
Dr. Marcus Roth their CSO to discuss their company, the future of fusion energy development to understand why fusion ins not easy.

Scott Mercer joined Focused energy from Volta Media, a Shell Brand, and aims to expand its US presence and scale fusion development, leveraging high-power lasers and accelerator targetry for commercial success.

Dr, Markus Roth has been a professor in laser and plasma physics at TU Darmstadt since 2003. Working in laser plasma interaction, ultra-intense lasers and fusion for 30 years. He is Rosen Scholar award winner of Los Alamos National Laboratory, an APS fellow, and an advisor to Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

1. Tell us about the origin of Focused Energy?

We liked the long-term nature of fusion and the prospect of bringing in a new class of investors who could add value. We started Focused Energy shortly after NIF achieved ignition. We pursued laser fusion because it provided more opportunities to separate the pieces of the problem—it is more modular and more accessible to iterate on. It also simplifies issues such as material destruction from high-energy neutrons. Focused Energy is focused on D-T laser inertial confinement.

2. Who are your investors?

We raised $33M in our last round (a C-round; the company is only 3 years old) and over
$150M. The investors have generally been “deep tech” investors. We have also received significant grants from the German government.

3. What makes your approach unique in the market?

The underlying physics of inertial confinement are well-proven, reducing risks. We are proud to have experts in inertial confinement working for our company. It is a testament to our unique expertise. Our goal is to increase laser efficiency from 0.5% to 10%. We are also working on going from direct-drive, which is more efficient than indirect-drive by about 90%. Also, we can benefit from the considerable optics expertise in Germany. The company also has much experience designing fusion targets from previous work in the weapons system arena. Our overall goal is to achieve a “Q” of 100X. We are also focused on using a larger number (>100s) of smaller-aperture lasers than were used at NIF.

4. Who are your target customers?

We are targeting gigawatt fusion machines and are focused primarily on utilities. Specifically, they are focused on providing fuels and IP to those who would implement the plants. We are looking for companies willing to work with them on scaling up the machines to utility-scale; countries that need grid stabilization, like Germany, will need fusion power, and countries like France are now heavily on nuclear fission. Shipping will also be a good target for fusion. In any case, we must go forward on how much energy we will consume as a planet, underlining the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions like fusion.

5. What are your supply chain challenges?

The speed with which we can increase productivity in the supply chain, specifically in optics technology. One of the issues of “one-off” fusion machines is that we keep ramping up and down the supply chain, which is disruptive. Human capital is also challenging – we are building one of the largest industries with massive technical challenges. Fusion energy will require an enormous number of people with a wide variety of skills. We must develop new programs and investments in the education space as well. “Fusion isn’t rocket science – if it were, it would have been done in the 1960s”. Fusion is much harder!

6. When will fusion start powering the grid?

The first functional plans will be in the late 2030s, with competitive electrical plants in the 2040s and 2050s replacing existing power plants in the 2050s.

7. Which country will be first to fusion?

It depends on where investments come from—we need both public and private investment to make it happen. The US is late to the party, but we can catch up if we decide to. It is also important for Western democracies to work together on this, both in the development of the technology and the supply chain. Collaboration is key in the journey towards fusion energy.