Reducing the barriers to fusion electric power

A potential solution to some of the current problems faced by the U.S. Magnetic Fusion community is presented. It can be implemented with little or no increase in the present funding level and it could promote a more positive attitude toward what is, in its ultimate application to electricity generation, a very long and costly research program. The proposed solution is to devote a significant fraction of the current program to developing, and marketing, near term commercial products from low Q devices. It is anticipated that such a research and development program is in fact less expensive than the pursuit of very large and complex toroidal power plants based on the DT cycle. A few examples of near term commercial products are discussed and a plan presented that could ultimately lead to economical and environmentally attractive fusion power plants.