Reimagining Fusion Energy System Design in Support of a Just and Equitable Energy Transition*

Fusion has the potential to be adapted globally as the energy source for the next phase of human technology. Much of the work in the fusion community to date has been focused on achieving energy gain, but to have fusion be widely adopted as an energy source, the focus must also include improving the economics of fusion energy systems as well as society's consent of these fusion technologies. An interdisciplinary team has been established focused on reimagining fusion energy system design to embed equity and environmental justice and engage the public during the early phases of the design process. Community informed research directions are being identified through open-framed focus groups to understand societal hopes for and concerns about fusion technologies. Initial work focused on redefining systems level analysis, risk and safety analysis and to explore fuel cycle analysis for fusion centering equity and environmental justice has begun.