Marvel Fusion: Good, clean power
A quick glance at Marvel Fusion’s website is enough to show the transformative potential of the laser-driven fusion technology that it describes as “the ultimate clean energy solution”.
Its technology proposes the use of ultrashort lasers to blast tiny quantities of hydrogen fuel, triggering an implosion that releases energy without any toxic emissions whatsoever. Marvel points out that fusion provides the energy of every star and powers the sun, and if it can be harnessed terrestrially, it could generate limitless clean energy.
The problem for the German company is that that is a pretty substantial if, and it is only planning to have built a prototype facility by 2032 and a commercial fusion power plant by 2036.
Still, there are enough believers in the technology for Marvel to have raised €113m in new funding, and it is part of a wave of interest in the field in Germany as the country scrambles to fill the huge gap left by the rapid halt of its substantial dependence on cheap Russian gas.
Chancellor-to-be Friedrich Merz is an enthusiastic supporter of the technology, stressing during the election campaign that Germany shouldn’t raise the white flag to the US and China but rather aim to have the world’s first fusion reactor linked to the grid.
The problem is that it may always struggle to compete with the levels of funding available in the US, where there was considerable excitement in 2022, when the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved net energy gain for the first time by obliterating a small bit of hydrogen plasma with the world’s biggest laser.
Lululemon: A lulu of a lemon
For a time it seemed that there was no limit to the quantity of $100 yoga pants that the ardent athleisure enthusiast could install in the comfort of her well-stocked closet, and Lululemon was right out in front of pushing the upper limit of what the market would pay for what’s essentially a pretty basic piece of kit.
It has reported record revenues of $10.6bn for 2024 but spooked the market by admitting that sales in the US had been weaker than expected, with same-store sales in the Americas dropping by 1% for the year, and its share price was down 10% in after-hours trading.
A mildly cautious consumer market is one thing, but with a feeling that “you ain’t seen nothing yet” emerging from the White House, the outlook becomes increasingly unpredictable.
For a start, Lululemon is Canadian, and Canada has gone from being a friendly neighbour to nigh on pariah state in the blink of a Trumpian eye. Tariffs are popping up all over the place like mushrooms after a rainstorm, with more expected next week, which could prove a substantial challenge to a company that manufactures most of its product in the Far East.
Then there’s the problem of Lululemon’s founder, Chip Wilson, who is on record as saying he included 3 Ls in the company’s name as he enjoyed watching the Japanese struggle to pronounce it. He was forced to resign after a series of comments that could be construed as being a little derogatory to the well-upholstered end of his customer base, a pretty substantial group in the US in every sense of the word.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.