Fusion Power

The development of clean, safe nuclear power was one of the most significant developments in the history of the Republic. Initial fission plants offered significant improvements over various combustion-based alternatives. However, fission plants produced radioactive waste which was expensive to dispose of and had significant half-lifes, the time it takes the material to expend its unstable energy through radiation.

Fusion power was seen as the logical next step, but there were significant hurdles to overcome before fusion generators were capable of providing more power output than the power inputs required to sustain the fusion reaction.

Through perseverance and ongoing private and public support for fusion research and development, these challenges were eventually solved, ushering in a new age of inexpensive and sustainable electricity. This led to an economic and technological boom, which quickly expanded across Umbria.

Fusion reactors would continue to improve. Within a generation, the Republic was able to move away from neutronic fusion, which generates moderately radioactive waste, to aneutronic reactions, where the majority of the energy produced is obtained from charged particles.

This resulted in the first truly clean electrical power, while the fuels used in these reactions were abundantly available in Umbria's local solar system, fueling the race to expand ever deeper into space.

Over the last two centuries, fusion plants have become so small, and are considered so safe, that they power a wide array of machines, vehicles, and spaceships, and can be found throughout the Republic. While it is not the sole method of generating power, fusion power represents a significant component of Umbria's energy mix and infrastructure.