[Kylon]

PACER was an idea for detonating fusion bombs in underground cavities.

I had this same idea but I didn't know it had already been thought of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PACER_(fusion)

In theory we could use fusion power like this, if we really, really needed it, and started running low on energy.

The downside to this energy proposal would be due to increased security needs and the requirement of constructing bombs. However if the operation was scaled up heavily (on the maybe 100 times what they are proposing for a single plant) the cost could in theory go down (making one bomb is hard, and the security for one has to be tight. But once you have that bomb, making it stronger is only a matter of adding deuterium, which is relatively cheap in power terms).

If we did this we could have fusion power now, and stop all the problems with energy shortages. Just construct a few hundred of these.

What's everyone's opinion about this?

[Kylon]

In theory, PACER would work.

We know we are screwed if we do nothing.

It would be better to do something and save ourselves, even if it was a drastic solution, then do nothing and insure our own demise.

Don't you agree?

[Tanada]

PACER was an idea for detonating fusion bombs in underground cavities.

I had this same idea but I didn't know it had already been thought of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PACER_(fusion)

In theory we could use fusion power like this, if we really, really needed it, and started running low on energy.

The downside to this energy proposal would be due to increased security needs and the requirement of constructing bombs. However if the operation was scaled up heavily (on the maybe 100 times what they are proposing for a single plant) the cost could in theory go down (making one bomb is hard, and the security for one has to be tight. But once you have that bomb, making it stronger is only a matter of adding deuterium, which is relatively cheap in power terms).

If we did this we could have fusion power now, and stop all the problems with energy shortages. Just construct a few hundred of these.

What's everyone's opinion about this?

Given that every fusion device we have ever detonated was triggered by fission of Plutonium or Uranium and that fission of either of those elements is successfully done every day at over 400 reactors on Earth, why waste resources on PACER? Much more efficient to use the fissionable's directly in reactors that efficiently provide useful energy already.

[vaseline2008]

Another fancy way boil water IMO, how about just developing geothermal power instead? Lots cheaper to get a rig to drill a few miles into the earth...same end result, no?