Scientists in California, United States, achieved a breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology. For the first time, more energy was produced than is consumed in a reaction.
According to a source familiar with the investigation, the achievement was accomplished at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco. The informant requested anonymity because the results have not yet been made public in full. In this regard, the DOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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In the process, lasers were used to bombard hydrogen isotopes held in a state of superheated plasma in order to fuse them into helium, releasing a neutron and clean carbon energy in the process. Yes ok Scientists have been experimenting with this technology for decades. Until now, it had not been possible for the process to produce more energy than it consumed.
According to him financial times, the reaction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory produced about 2.5 megajoules of energy, compared with the 2.1 megajoules used to power the lasers. Even though The results represent a great advance. There is still a long way to go before creating a viable technology, not to mention providing enough clean energy to help the world wean off fossil fuels and limit climate change.
Nuclear fission technology, which splits atoms and generates highly radioactive waste, has been on the market for decades and it still produces only 10% of the world’s energy, much less than coal and gas. For its part, the potential market share of the merger will also be threatened by solar and wind energy, both cheaper and with mature supply chains. However, its main drawback, intermittent generation, is being solved by a rapidly growing battery storage industry.
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Even so, if the merger can be expanded as it offers the promise of a clean energy 24 hours a day with less risk and hazardous waste than fission. Investment in fusion startups like Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Helion Energy totaled $2.3 billion in 2021 and is likely to top $1 billion this year, according to BloombergNEF.
The DOE previously reported that Secretary Jennifer Granholm was scheduled to announce Tuesday a “major scientific breakthrough” in the national laboratory achieved by researchers from the Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
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