According to three people who understand the preliminary results of recent experiments, US government scientists have achieved net energy gain in fusion reaction for the first time, thus making a breakthrough in pursuing infinite zero carbon energy.
Since the 1950s, physicists have tried to exploit the fusion reaction that powers the sun, but no group is able to generate more energy from the reaction than it consumes—a milestone known as net energy gain or target gain, which will help prove that this process can provide a reliable, rich alternative to fossil fuels and conventional nuclear energy.
The federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in , , California, used a process called inertial restricted fusion that involves bombarding tiny hydrogen plasma particles with the world's largest laser, achieving net energy gain in fusion experiments over the past two weeks. .
Although many scientists believe that nuclear fusion power plants will take decades, the potential of this technology cannot be ignored. Fusion reaction does not emit carbon and does not produce long-lived radioactive waste . A small cup of hydrogen fuel can theoretically provide a house with hundreds of years of energy.
The U.S. breakthrough comes as the world struggles to deal with high energy prices and needs to quickly get rid of burning fossil fuels to prevent global average temperatures from reaching dangerous levels. Passing the Lower Inflation Act, the Biden administration has invested nearly $370 billion in new subsidies for low-carbon energy in an effort to reduce emissions and win a global race for the next generation of clean technology.
The fusion reaction at a U.S. government facility produces about 2.5 megajoules of energy, about 120% of the laser's 2.1 megajoules of energy, people familiar with the matter said, adding that the data is still being analyzed.
U.S. Department of Energy said that Energy Secretary Jennifer Glenholm and Deputy Secretary for Nuclear Security Gil Hruby will announce "a major scientific breakthrough" at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Tuesday. The department declined to comment further.
The lab confirmed that a successful experiment was recently conducted in its national ignition device, but said the results are being analyzed.
"Preliminary diagnostic data suggest another successful experiment with the National Ignition Device. However, the exact yield is still being determined and we cannot confirm at this time whether it exceeds the threshold," it said. "The analysis is in progress, so the information is released. . It is inaccurate until the process is completed."
Two people familiar with the results said that the energy output was higher than expected, which damaged some diagnostic equipment and complicated the analysis. The breakthrough has been widely discussed by scientists, people familiar with the matter added.
"If this is confirmed, we will witness a historical moment," said Dr. Arthur Terrell, a plasma physicist whose book Star Creator portrays efforts to achieve fusion energy. “Scientists have been working to prove that fusion can release more energy than input since the 1950s, and researchers at Lawrence Livermore seem to have finally completely broken this decades-old goal.”
The $3.5 billion national ignition device is mainly used to test nuclear weapon by simulated explosions, but was later used to advance fusion energy research. Last year, when it produced 1.37 megajoules from the fusion reaction, it was the closest thing in the world to net energy gain, about 70% of the laser energy at that time.
When launching the new White House fusion energy strategy this year, Congressman Don Beyer, chairman of the bipartisan fusion energy core group, described the technology as the “holy grail” of clean energy, adding: “Fusing has the potential to boost more citizens more people in the world than anything since the invention of the fire.”
Most fusion research focuses on a different approach called magnetically constrained fusion, in which hydrogen fuel is secured in place by powerful magnets and heated to extreme temperatures, thus allowing atomic nucleus fusion to fuse.
Historically, this scientific research has been done by large publicly funded laboratories, such as Oxford’s United European Torus, but in recent years, investment has also poured into private companies that promise to provide fusion energy in the 2030s.
In the 12 months to the end of June, fusion companies raised $2.83 billion in investment, bringing total private sector investment to nearly $4.9 billion so far, according to the Fusion Industry Association.
Nicolas Hawke, CEO of Oxford-based startup First Light Fusion, is developing a method similar to that used by NIF, which he describes as a potential breakthrough as a “game changer.”
"It can't be more profound for the fusion capability," he said.
