Scientists Announce a Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough, Reaching Milestone for Clean Energy

What’s the story? 

• Scientists achieved a major breakthrough earlier this month by conducting the first controlled nuclear fusion reaction that produced more energy than it took to trigger.  
• The Department of Energy (DOE) said this achievement will “pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power.” 
• Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California crossed the milestone by igniting the fuel and figuring out how to keep it burning on its own, a process known as ignition. 
• Kim Budil, LLNL director, said: 

“Ignition is a first step, a truly monumental one that sets the stage for a transformational decade and high energy density science and fusion research.”

• The U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the experiment replicated conditions found only in the stars and sun, adding to the impressed, excited response from the public. 

Why is this important?

• Scientists have worked for decades to make nuclear fusion a limitless energy source, and ignition is critical in this development. If, or when, they can deploy fusion on a large commercial scale, it would offer a clean energy source to replace fossil fuels.
• Using nuclear fusion on a wide scale would help decrease the number of power plants that pump billions of tons of pollution into the atmosphere every year by burning coal and natural gas. This shift would eventually slow down the process and consequences of climate change. 
• The DOE noted that this breakthrough would “...be a game-changer for efforts to achieve President Biden’s goal of a net-zero carbon economy.” 

How does it work?

• Nuclear fusion occurs when multiple atoms are fused together, generating energy through heat. Frequently, hydrogen atoms are combined to form a single, heavy element like helium. The nuclear reaction of fusion produces the energy that we can then capture. 
• The National Ignition Facility at LLNL had 192 lasers blast a small diamond cylinder with a frozen clump of two elements that make a heavier form of hydrogen. In a brief moment, neutron particles flowed out — the product of fusion — carrying around three megajoules of energy.

What’s to come? 

• It will likely be decades before energy through nuclear fusion becomes available nationwide. Budil estimates it will take decades of research and development of the underlying technologies to build a power plant. 
• Climate scientists say to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius and the detrimental impacts of climate change, the world must reach net-zero emissions by 2050. 

How do you feel about nuclear fusion replacing fossil fuels?

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: iStock/LV4260)