Cold fusion technology has started easing back into the media spotlight since the demonstration of Andrea Rossi’s E-Cat home fusion unit in October of 2011. While governments have largely overlooked this source of clean, inexpensive energy, private investors have not. The result is development of an earth-shaking technology that has remained, pretty much, under the radar. This is partly to do with the fact that the inventors don’t have the safety-net of big laboratory names to protect their intellectual property.
Universities are taking up the challenge, developing research projects aimed at developing useful and sustained cold fusion technology. Even a division of the U.S. Pentagon is working with the Italian government to develop cold fusion for that country.
But, is there any kind of political hope for LENR technology in the U.S.? The most recent resolve to fund studies in LENR in the U.S. came from a committee in 2004. This is when the decision was made to abandon LENR research as a government program. The committee said that funds should be provided for more research, though no money has been dedicated for that purpose since.
Currently, there are few U.S. politicians who are paying much attention to the subject. Mitt Romney, a presidential candidate, spoke generally about scientific research as a benefit to the economy, and mentioned cold fusion in the statement. However, there is no indication that he knows anything about LENR technology or its potential. It was probably just inserted by his speech writers, along with a list of other forms of alternative energy.
Bruce Tarr is a senator from Massachusetts, and he seems to be genuinely attentive to the possibilities of LENR technology. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) performed a live demonstration of their LENR device called NANOR, and Tarr attended the demonstration, speaking to the researchers about the studies. Tarr has also played host to Andrea Rossi, inventor of the E-Cat which is supposed to be for sale in 2013. Tarr is, apparently, searching for alternate energy for his state, in view of the decreased operating budgets that each of the states are facing in the continued financial crisis.
Another U.S. Senator, Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, has consulted with Energetics Technologies, representing Sidney Kimmel. Kimmel is a billionaire who is paying for LENR research at the University of Missouri. While Kerrey is collecting huge fees for this representation, he has not spoken publicly concerning cold fusion.
Until U.S. politicians consider LENR as a viable source of energy, it will remain for the general public to do its own research in the matter. Once Rossi’s home fusion E-Cat device is finally patented and available to individual home owners, the units will start making a difference on the demands placed on the power grids. Once power plants are no longer over-burdened, or even find themselves losing profits, LENR technology will be taken seriously in the political world. Then, the deep pockets of the American taxpayers can yield research money for LENR technology.