For the first time in history, experts have gained more energy out of a nuclear fusion reaction than they put in by replicating the reaction that powers the sun. This breakthrough could pave the way for unlimited clean energy.
US set to announce major fusion energy breakthrough
The US Department of Energy is set to reveal a “major scientific breakthrough” this week after scientists reportedly produced a fusion reaction gaining more energy than they put in for the first time.
The breakthrough, called a net gain reaction, is considered to be the “holy grail” of zero-carbon power, a major milestone that could pave the way for developing a technology that could offer a clean and virtually limitless supply of energy, the New York Post reported.
Nuclear fusion differs from nuclear fission – the technique that current nuclear plants use to generate power – by fusing two atomic nuclei instead of splitting one.
The breakthrough occurred at the government-funded, California-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). According to the Department of Energy, the fusion reaction produced a 120% net energy gain in the past two weeks, Yahoo reported.
Scientists have been trying to replicate the same nuclear reaction that powers the sun since the 1950s. But until now, they have been unable to produce more energy from a fusion reaction than it consumes.
“To most of us, this was only a matter of time,” said one of the senior fusion scientists regarding the successful experiment.
What unlimited clean energy could mean for the world
Nuclear fusion would change the world.
Scientists have long considered nuclear fusion the potential energy of the future, particularly because it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases.
One of the first benefits would be the ability to bring to an end to carbon-producing forms of energy that are creating greenhouse gases and global warming, potentially reversing man-made climate change.
Secondly, countries like Russia and organizations like OPEC+ would lose their stranglehold grip on Western countries, the Daily Mail reported.
Space travel would not only become less expensive, but long-distance space travel would become more feasible.
How does nuclear fusion work?
Here is the “short version” of how nuclear fusion energy works, according to the Daily Mail.
Nuclear fusion works by “fusing” hydrogen atoms to create helium, releasing huge amounts of energy in the process. This is essentially how the sun generates heat and light. Nuclear fusion replicates this by heating hydrogen atoms to 100 million degrees Celsius (180,000,032 Fahrenheit), or more than six times hotter than the sun. To do this, scientists use lasers in a machine called a “tokamak,” which is the equivalent of the nuclear fission reactor we currently use for nuclear power. The heat created in the process can be harnessed to drive steam turbines to generate electricity.
Scientists believe that, despite the recent breakthrough, fusion power stations are still at least a decade away from commercial use.
