Towards unlimited energy? Revolutionary advances could pave the way

2023-08-13 17:20:00

Newsweek reports that July saw two major scientific breakthroughs bring us closer and closer to the secret of fusion power. Nuclear fusion is the process by which the Sun creates energy. It involves smashing two atoms together with enough force that they combine and form one atom, creating a large amount of energy.

Unlike nuclear fission, which powers the majority of today’s energy sector, fusion poses no risk of a nuclear explosion and does not produce radioactive water. Unlike nuclear fission, which powers the majority of today’s energy sector, fusion poses no risk of a nuclear explosion and does not produce radioactive water.

A first in history

In December 2022, a team of scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a major breakthrough. For the first time in history, the team generated more energy than needed to achieve fusion.

In July, the team repeated this experiment and managed to create even more energy in return. However, other researchers warn that these advances do not yet allow practical or commercial use of this technology.

David Kingham, vice-president and co-founder of Tokamak Energy Ltd explains that “these recent advances are impressive scientific results, but to deliver a commercial fusion we will have to succeed in making Q greater than 1. fusion should have a Q of 20 to 30 or more”.

Kigham concludes by explaining that “fusion is a global and transformative source of limitless, clean and safe energy and we welcome every advancement in this field to attract the best minds and investments.”

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