Nuclear fusion seeks to replicate the Sun’s process of producing energy by fusing atomic nuclei to yield large amounts of heat and light without greenhouse gas emissions or the radioactive waste associated with fission. Researchers achieved a net energy gain from a fusion reaction in 2022 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The number of companies developing fusion technologies has increased, especially in North America and Europe. Corporations are signing long-term purchase agreements in anticipation of commercial fusion, including Microsoft with Helion Energy and Google with Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Significant technical and timeline uncertainties remain; commercial electricity generation may still take decades.
Nuclear fusion aims to replicate the way the Sun produces light and heat, generating a tremendous amount of energy when atomic nuclei fuse together. Figuring out how to do that in a controlled way on Earth would unlock an energy source that avoids the greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuels and radioactive waste from existing nuclear fission reactors that split atoms apart.
The biggest breakthrough yet took place in 2022, when researchers were able to reach a net energy gain from a fusion reaction for the very first time. That took place at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, and other initiatives are still trying to replicate that success with the goal of one day being able to generate electricity from a fusion power plant.
Collection
[
|
...
]