Nov. 12, 2012 – By Steven B. Krivit –

Originally published Oct. 3, 2012

On Wednesday, Nov. 14, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, the American Nuclear Society will hold a panel session on low-energy nuclear reaction research at its winter national meeting at the Town and Country hotel and resort in San Diego, Calif. The last LENR session at an ANS meeting took place in June 1998.

The session will explore the surprising possibility that highly energetic nuclear reactions and elemental transmutations result from LENRs. Although the term was not used a century ago, examples of LENRs go back that far. LENRs are weak interactions and neutron-capture processes that occur in nanometer- to micron-scale regions on surfaces in condensed matter at room temperature. Although nuclear, LENRs are not based on fission or any kind of fusion, both of which primarily involve the strong interaction. Continue reading »

Nov. 10, 2012 – By Steven B. Krivit –

An October 2012 report issued by the Electric Power Research Institute, in Palo Alto, Calif., “Assessment of Fusion Energy Options for Commercial Electricity Production,” states that commercial fusion power is not likely for at least 30 years.

The conclusion of the report is that, “although significant progress is being made in many areas, commercial application is not likely for at least 30 years — if the concepts prove feasible.”

Dr. Robert Park, former spokesman for the American Physical Society, was quoted about hot fusion research in The Rebirth of Cold Fusion, by Steven B. Krivit and Nadine Winocur.

“It turned out to be much harder than we thought,” Park said, “but they make steady progress. It’s not spectacular progress, but the joke is it’s the energy source of the future and it always will be, because they’re constantly giving you an estimate of how many years before we have controlled fusion reactors in business and it doesn’t happen.” Continue reading »

Oct. 24, 2012 – By Steven B. Krivit –

Steven Featherstone’s article “Can Andrea Rossi’s Infinite-Energy Black Box Power The World – Or Just Scam It?” published yesterday online on the Popular Science Web site.

“Silverbird” wrote the following astute one-sentence comment in response on the Popular Science Web site: “Why did this BS require 8 pages?”

Indeed, it is a peculiar story, not for its content but for its timing.

Featherstone contacted me on June 19 this year.

“I came across your site while researching a feature story about ‘cold fusion,’ or LENR as it were, and Andrea Rossi in particular,” Featherstone wrote. “I’m new to the subject of cold fusion, so it’s been quite an uphill battle separating fact from fiction, especially with material found on the Web, most of which appears to be fiction. Your skepticism about Rossi’s claims, while not rare, seems more informed than most and certainly well-documented. In fact, I’ve ordered your book and plan to read it ASAP. Continue reading »