Fusion energy offers the potential for abundant, on-demand, carbon-free power. But for the past seven decades, fusion has largely been a scientific R&D effort restricted to national labs and universities. In recent years, however, things have begun to shift as private investors have begun backing an array of companies with plans for commercializing fusion — to the tune of $6 billion to date. Zap Energy is one such team, developing an approach to fusion called the sheared-flow-stabilized Z pinch. Zap’s technology avoids the enormous, costly, and complex magnets and lasers of other fusion concepts, but does require several first-of-a-kind systems – including 1MA scale, high-average-power repetitive pulsed power units based on durable solid-state switches. In this keynote Zap’s VP of Systems Engineering Matthew C. Thompson and Chief of Staff AJ Kantor will describe the electrical power handling requirements of fusion systems in general, the fusion industry landscape, what makes Zap’s approach unique, and why power electronics are a critical technology for it to succeed.
