German firm developing fully integrated fusion power plant gets funding boost
A Munich-based company that is developing a conceptual design of a fully integrated fusion power plant has received a funding boost. Marvel Fusion is in the process of developing two laser prototypes, which includes building a $150 million facility with Colorado State University.
To initiate fusion, Marvel’s approach involves using an ultrashort laser pulse that interacts with small fuel pellets in a target structure with high intensity.
The company claims that the rapid deposition of laser energy triggers the fusion of the fuel’s nuclei before the target structure can disassemble. Fuel pellets need to be irradiated and ignited several times per second to achieve sufficient scale for commercial operation.
Supplementary systems convert released energy into electricity
An injector pushes a new pellet into the target chamber, where it is hit by the incoming laser pulse and releases energy during the fusion process, according to Marvel Fusion.
Supplementary systems convert the released energy into electricity. By adjusting the rate of pellet injections and corresponding laser pulses per second, Marvel’s fusion power plant can adjust the overall energy output to market demand, according to details provided by the company.
Germany aims to develop its first nuclear fusion power plant by 2040. However, the country has closed all its nuclear power plants, but it remains interested in the development of fusion power plants.
Building the world’s first fusion prototype
The company has announced the extension of its Series B funding round by EUR50 million (USD54 million) to EUR113 million, with funding from EQT Ventures, Siemens Energy, and the European Innovation Council Fund.
This brings total funding to EUR385 million, including EUR170 million from private investment, including existing investors Tengelmann Ventures and Bayern KapitalMar.
“Welcoming the EIC Fund, EQT Ventures and Siemens Energy to our shareholder board is fantastic; it gives us the financial and operational backing for executing the required milestones towards building the world’s first fusion prototype,” said founder and CEO Moritz von der Linden.
The company’s $150 million partnership with Colorado University creates a public-private collaboration to support the construction of a next-generation, high-power laser and fusion research facility on the CSU Foothills Campus. The partnership would establish Fort Collins as a nexus for laser fusion research and deliver significant positive impacts to Colorado.
When completed, this state-of-the-art facility is envisioned to serve as a platform to advance the company’s fusion approach. Advancing laser fusion and its potential as a new source of power is critical because of its ability to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of how energy is supplied globally.
“The European Innovation Council’s Fund participation underscores a significant advance, demonstrating the EIC commitment to high-impact innovation by private fusion companies and in line with fusion technology’s position as a strategic technology for Europe,” added Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund Board.
Fusion energy, once commercialized, has the potential to transform global energy supply, significantly reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enabling an economically viable pathway to competitive, reliable energy.