FUSION ENERGY APPLICATIONS IN THE WORLD'S ENERGY FUTURE.

It is expected that the experiments to demonstrate the scientific feasibility of fusion will be conducted in the early 1980's. The eventual usefulness of fusion as an environmentally desirable inexhaustible energy source for the production of electric power is widely recognized. However, based on energy demand forecasts, there are other applications of fusion which should be considered. Furthermore, there are non-electric applications of fusion which may offer the opportunity for earlier and easier commercialization. This paper discusses the non-electric applications of fusion which have been and are being studied by the Department of Energy and discusses the merits and problems associated with each.