3 years ago
First Light Fusion Secures $45 Million to Advance Fusion Energy Research
First Light Fusion, a UK-based company specializing in inertial fusion energy generation, has closed a $45 million Series C funding round
Existing investors Oxford Science Enterprises, Hostplus, and IP Group plc participated, alongside new investors Braavos Capital and Tencent
The funds will be used to accelerate the development of their "gain" experiment and further design and engineering work on a commercial fusion energy power plant
First Light Fusion has procured and commissioned a two-stage hyper-velocity gas gun nicknamed the "Big Friendly Gun" or BFG, which fires a 100 g projectile at 6.5 km/s into the "target" of their technology
The BFG complements First Light's electromagnetic launch device "Machine 3" enabling the team to explore a different parameter space by launching larger but "slower" projectiles
First Light Fusion has grown to 67 people in the past twelve months and expanded into larger premises to accommodate the staff and the new equipment.
ProblemEnergy
"Making fusion energy a viable source of clean and sustainable energy is one of the biggest challenges humanity faces. Current approaches to fusion energy are expensive, complex and require massive infrastructure, making them impractical for widespread adoption."
Solution
"First Light Fusion has developed a unique approach to inertial confinement fusion that uses a two-stage hyper-velocity gas gun to fire a projectile into a target, creating a fusion reaction. This technology offers a more efficient and scalable way to achieve fusion energy, requiring less infrastructure and making it more affordable."