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US Scientists Announce a Breakthrough In Fusion Power Development

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Fusion energy development in the US has reached a milestone. Scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, have successfully produced the first net energy gain using the nuclear reaction in the laboratory.

The ongoing experiments have been conducted for decades but scientists still struggled to generate a great deal of new energy. While fusion reaction can reproduce a large source of energy, it faces a serious challenge of large energy consumption.

On December 5, 2022, NIF scientists conducted the first self-sustaining fusion experiment in history. The result showed that the amount of energy generated from fusion is greater than the amount of laser energy consumption.

On the other hand, the energy that is being produced as a result of the fusion reaction that is taking place at NIF right now is having a minimal effect because the total amount of energy that was put into the process is enormous. Scalability and stability present another obstacle for the development of nuclear fusion.

Nonetheless, the finding was a significant step forward in fusion research, providing the groundwork for the future development of advanced and really effective technology. Nuclear fusion offers more potential energy than any other known energy source combined.

It can produce roughly four million times more energy than chemical reactions such as the combustion of coal, oil, or gas, or even nuclear fission, which is now employed in all nuclear power plants throughout the world.

The achievement of the trigger point raises the prospect of a possible solution to the global energy issue. Because the fusion reaction generates an abundant source of energy, it has the potential to be a renewable energy source that can power life without emitting carbon dioxide or radioactive pollutants that degrade the environment.

Furthermore, developments in nuclear technology research and development in general, and NIF fusion in particular, present enormous possibilities for a new sector. Many nations are now interested in and funding projects to generate clean nuclear energy. Many businesses and technological start-ups have expressed interest in developing commercial fusion furnaces.

Article Source: The Japan Times
Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash