Sign In
Appetite for data transforming Energy Sector and Construction Projects
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) announced this week that they have successfully constructed and tested a groundbreaking electromagnet, the Central Solenoid Model Coil or CSMC. This achievement marks a significant stride forward in fusion energy research, with implications across industries.
The Central Solenoid Model Coil is a device that stores energy and is essential to the goal of producing machines capable of commercializing fusion energy at scale. The CSMC is one of two types of specialized magnets needed to make fusion power for SPARC, a machine called a tokamak Commonwealth is working on to demonstrate fusion power.
Rendering of SPARC, a tokamak, a compact machine Commonwealth, and others are hoping will eventually deliver fusion power commercially. Image: Commonwealth Fusion Systems
This electromagnet’s successful creation and testing represents a crucial breakthrough for the future of producing plasma for fusion energy. Fusion is the same process that powers the sun and stars. It has long been hailed as the pinnacle of energy sources due to its potential to provide abundant, clean, and sustainable power without the long-lived radioactive waste associated with nuclear fission.
Brandon Sorbom, CFS Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, said, “This is an important milestone on the road to commercialization. When we hit the button and put current through the magnet, it performed like a champ and hit all its major test objectives.”
The Central Solenoid Model Coil, an electromagnet, under construction at Commonwealth Fusion Systems. The device stores energy and is essential to machines capable of commercializing fusion energy at scale. Image: Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Some of the CSMC test results reported by Commonwealth Fusion Systems:
-
Ramping electrical current up to 50,000 amps. The electricity 250 modern American houses would consume if each drew maximum power.
-
Creating a 5.7 tesla magnetic field, about 100,000 times the strength of Earth’s magnetic field.
-
Reaching a record stored energy for pulsed magnets of 3.7 megajoules. Commonwealth reported “about the total energy of 5 full-size pickup trucks driving at 60 mph.”
Transformation in the Energy Sector and Construction
The data appetite for modern technologies is accelerating demand for construction opportunities in the energy sector and data centers.
An International Energy Agency report said, “Updated regulations and technological improvements, including on efficiency, will be crucial to moderate the surge in energy consumption from data centers.”
Chief Economist at ConstructConnect, Michael Guckes, reported in the October Construction Economy Snapshot that the steady flow of energy projects and data center megaprojects (those over $1 billion in cost) influenced the volume of construction starts in their respective regions.
Sebastian Tillet, an economist at Oxford Economics and a ConstructConnect partner, wrote earlier this year, “Given the strategic importance of this sector and pressure from companies with the largest stock caps in the US, it is unlikely that growth will be stunted in the short term, and longer-term opportunities beckon,” Tillet wrote.
[Read the full article here: Rising Demand Fuels Surge in US Data Center Construction]
Developments in the energy sector have significant implications for construction professionals. The potential for fusion energy to revolutionize the energy sector could lead to new opportunities in infrastructure development, energy-efficient building designs, and sustainable urban planning.
Harnessing a virtually limitless supply of clean energy could transform how construction projects are powered and executed, paving the way for innovative practices in the industry.
Construction economy news and insights you can act on.
Subscribe to our economic reports.
About ConstructConnect
Construction Starts Here™ at ConstructConnect, where our mission is to help the construction industry start every project on a solid foundation. A leading provider of software solutions for the preconstruction industry, ConstructConnect empowers commercial construction firms to streamline their workflows and maximize productivity. ConstructConnect operates as a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 1000.
