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Founder of Tesla and SpaceX,
Elon Musk
, made a sharp satire on the global race to build nuclear fusion reactors or what is commonly referred to as ‘
Artificial sun
‘ or ‘Matahari KW’.
In his latest upload on the X platform, Musk calls the Sun a giant, free fusion reactor in the sky.He also considered efforts to create a small version of it on Earth as a very stupid act and a waste of money.
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“The sun is a giant fusion reactor free in the sky. It would be stupid to make a small fusion reactor on Earth,” Musk said in his tweet, Monday (15/12).
According to Musk, even if four Jupiter-sized planets were “burned”, their energy contribution would still be almost insignificant compared to the total energy produced by the Sun throughout the life of the solar system.
“Even if you burned 4 Jupiters, the Sun would still produce almost 100 percent of all the energy that will ever be produced in the Solar System!”he said.
Musk, who is the richest person in the world with assets reaching more than IDR 8,400 trillion, emphasized that the development of small-scale fusion reactors only makes sense if it is honestly recognized as an experimental science project, not a practical energy solution.
“Stop wasting money on useless little reactors unless you actively acknowledge that they only exist for your pet science project,” he said.
This statement comes amidst heated global competition in the development of fusion energy, a technology that has been touted for decades as a future source of clean electricity, but continues to face technical challenges and cost overruns.
The global fusion energy landscape is indeed showing acceleration.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) publication entitled World Fusion Outlook 2025 notes that fusion research has shifted from being just a scientific experiment to becoming a national strategic priority in many countries.
Currently, more than 160 fusion facilities are operating, under construction, or planned worldwide.Global private investment in this sector has even exceeded US$10 billion (Rp. 166.34 trillion), driven by sovereign wealth funds, large corporations and energy users.
The IAEA publication entitled “World Fusion Outlook 2025” highlights key global developments in the field of fusion energy.ITER, the world’s largest fusion experiment, remains a major international effort driving scientific and technical progress.
As many as 33 countries and thousands of engineers and scientists are working together to build and operate a magnetic fusion device called the Tokamak, which is designed to prove the viability of fusion as a large-scale, carbon-free energy source.
Meanwhile, governments, private industry, and utilities are launching initiatives that complement these efforts and expand the global fusion landscape.New facilities are starting to be built, partnerships between the private and public sectors are expanding, and regulators are developing specific frameworks to keep pace with these developments.
Additionally, end users are showing increasing confidence in the technology by signing initial power purchase agreements.
According to the IAEA, on its official website, artificial solar fusion energy is expected to play a significant role in meeting the growing global demand for clean and reliable electricity.
For the first time, the IAEA World Fusion Prospects Report includes a global model of fusion energy deployment developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).This study explores how fusion could contribute to the future electricity mix under various policy, cost, and technology scenarios.
The IAEA also revealed that currently fusion technology is developing through various parallel efforts.Building on the foundations established by large-scale international collaborations such as ITER, a variety of approaches were developed in the public and private sectors, including tokamaks, stellarators, laser and inertial confinement concepts, magneto-inertial concepts, mirror machines, inverted field configurations, and pinches.
This diversity drives innovation and strengthens the sector in its efforts to find ways to make fusion energy a reality.
The IAEA report also includes a global fusion deployment model developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which projects that fusion could potentially account for up to 50 percent of global electricity by 2100 in a lowest-cost scenario.
(wpj/dmi)
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