Nuclear Fusion: The Potential for Unlimited, Clean Energy

 by Sawsene Bellaiche

(source: Wiki Commons)

The sun produces approximately 3.8 x 10^26W every second, enough to power the earth for a year.

For decades, scientists and engineers all over the world have been aiming to harness the power of the sun through a process called nuclear fusion. In a recent groundbreaking achievement, scientists have reached a huge breakthrough in the development of nuclear fusion, an event that could revolutionise how the world accesses energy. This breakthrough could lead to a potentially limitless, safe and clean energy source, that is free from radioactive waste and harmful greenhouse gases like some of the main energy sources currently used today.

Nuclear fusion is the process in which lightweight nuclei of atoms, most commonly isotopes of hydrogen fuse together to form one heavier nucleus.  During this process a very small amount of mass converts into an immense amount of energy as can be proven by Einstein's Mass–energy equivalence: E=mc^2. This same process is what powers all stars including our own sun, and so scientists are attempting to create a mini, contained star on earth, powerful enough to provide us with unlimited electricity.

However attempting to harness this power has proven to be very difficult, considering the extreme condition needed for the reaction. The reaction can reach temperatures above 150 million degrees Celsius and immense amounts of pressure in order to create a plasma which generates high amounts of energy, both which have proven to be a challenge for even the most talented scientists.

In December 2022 a groundbreaking discovery was made for the first time scientists were able to produce a net energy gain through the process of fusion. In this experiment 192 lasers were shot at hydrogen isotopes in order to set off the reaction, they were able to produce a mere 300 megajoules of energy, barely enough to power a few light bulbs for a day. However this has provided hope for the future of nuclear fusion generators.

At the forefront of the endeavour for cleaner energy is a project that has led to a union between over 35 nations, including the European Union, United States, Russia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea. This impressive collaboration has resulted in a project named ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). They're building the world's largest tokamak, a device designed to contain the hot plasma needed for fusion in Saint-Paul-les-Durees located in the south of france. The project has currently received $22 billion dollars in funding (almost 4 times greater than its initial budget) all in the hopes that success will be achieved.

Following many small successes in achieving net energy gain and the rapid development of more complex materials the initiative has seen notable progress. In a race against climate change for a more sustainable future, a nuclear fusion generator could revolutionise clean energy and perhaps help contribute against our current climate crisis.