Engineering breakeven
The point where a fusion plant generates as much electricity as it consumes, counting everything the plant uses to run itself: magnets, cooling, controls and heating systems included. This is an engineering gain of 1; a plant that sells electricity needs more than 1. No fusion device has produced electricity at all, so the engineering gain of every device built so far is zero, including those that have passed scientific breakeven.
Related terms
Guide: Fusion milestones: what has happened and what is promised
- Vocabulary id
concept:engineering-breakeven- Scheme
- Concepts
Back to the glossary.