Nicholas Hawker, co-founder and chief executive of UK-based nuclear fusion research company First Light Fusion who was formerly an engineering lecturer at University of Oxford’s Lady Margaret Hall, introduced his company’s technology and spoke about the future of energy.
Spun out of University of Oxford and University College London (UCL) in 2011, First Light Fusion was co-founded by Hawker and Yiannis Ventikos, head of UCL’s mechanical engineering department.
The company is conducting research on electricity generation using nuclear fusion from chemical compounds with heat from high-energy beams. “One target will release the energy equivalent to 10 barrels of oil,” Hawker said, explaining that projectile fusion is a new method for inertial fusion.
The fusion target is the key technology of the company, and Hawker said its designs consist of two parts: amplifier and fuel capsule. The amplifiers boost enough pressure and create convergence to facilitate the working of inertial fusion.
With proven materials and existing supply chains, the company leverages existing nuclear technology and produces a model with “huge market opportunity for fusion energy”, according to Hawker, who also said its safe, clean and limitless technology could help accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions.
First Light Fusion collaborates closely with the academic community, both in its home country and elsewhere to make fusion energy a reality. Its investors include University of Oxford’s Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI) fund, university-oriented fund manager IP Group as well as Parkwalk Advisors and Invesco.
