Forbes - USA (2019-06-30)

40

FORBES.COM JUNE 30, 20 19

The New Nuclear

CONTRARIAN TECH DISRUPTORS

Some A-list names—including the Rockefellers, Charles Schwab and

Buzz Aldrin—are chasing the sun at fusion-energy firm TAE Technologies.

By Christopher Helman Photography by Tim Pannell for Forbes

cancer tumors with a neutron beam. Engineers

huddle in a control room. Beyond their window:

Norman.

That’s the name of TAE’s 100-foot-long pro-

totype nuclear fusion reactor, a magnificent

assemblage of stainless steel vessels, electro-

magnets and particle accelerator tubes. Once

every eight minutes Norman emits a clang, as

it transforms 20 million watts of electricity into

a cloud of 100 million degrees Celsius plasma

Walking with Michl Binder-

bauer into his 2-acre laboratory feels a bit like

taking a factory tour with Willy Wonka. In one

corner Binderbauer, chief executive of TAE Tech-

nologies, shows off a new machine that blasts

W

California Dreamin’

From his headquarters

in Orange County,

California, Michl

Binderbauer pitches

the cocktail party

circuit on TAE’s

solution to the

“quintessential

civilization problem.”