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☆ Nuclear fusion experiment sets record for time at 100 million degrees Celsius
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Often referred to as the holy grail of climate solutions clean energy, fusion has the potential to provide limitless energy without planet-warming carbon pollution. KSTAR’s work “will be of great help to secure the predicted performance in ITER operation in time and to advance the commercialization of fusion energy,” Si-Woo Yoon said. This announcement adds to a number of other nuclear fusion breakthroughs. But commercializing nuclear fusion still remains a long way off as scientists work to solve fiendish engineering and scientific difficulties. Nuclear fusion “is not ready yet and therefore it can’t help us with the climate crisis now,” said Aneeqa Khan, research fellow in nuclear fusion at the University of Manchester in the UK.

Persons: Woo Yoon, ”, Aneeqa Khan, Angela Dewan Organizations: CNN — Scientists, KSTAR Research, Korean Institute of Fusion Energy, CNN, International, Reactor, Lawrence Livermore, Oxford, University of Manchester Locations: South Korea, France, United States

Fusion could have an important advantage over today's nuclear fission plants that split atoms, as it does not produce long-lasting radioactive waste. The former secretary of state will announce his plan to lay out the strategy - which foresees commercialization within years, not decades - on Monday on a tour of fusion company Commonwealth Fusion Systems near Boston. "I will have much more to say on the United States’ vision for international partnerships for an inclusive fusion energy future at COP28," Kerry said in a statement. Some critics say fusion will be too expensive and take too long to develop to help in the fight against climate change in the foreseeable future. In 2023, international fusion companies have garnered about $1.4 billion in investments for a total of about $6.21 billion in mostly private money, the Fusion Industry Association said, down from about $2.83 billion in new investment last year.

Persons: John Kerry, Kerry, Claudio Descalzi, Valerie Volcovici, Timothy Gardner, Jan Harvey Organizations: Eni, WASHINGTON, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Fusion, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Commonwealth, United, U.S, National, Fusion Industry Association, FIA, Thomson Locations: U.S, Dubai , U.S, Boston, California, United States, COP28, Germany, Japan, China, Australia

☆ Start-Ups With Laser Beams: The Companies Trying to Ignite Fusion Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Kenneth Chang | More About Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In December last year, after years of trying, the National Ignition Facility, or NIF, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reported that it had finally lived up to its middle name: ignition. For the first time anywhere, a laser-induced burst of fusion produced more energy than that supplied by the incoming lasers. “We’re really excited by the NIF results,” said Kramer Akli, who manages the fusion energy sciences program at the United States Department of Energy. A decade ago, a report by the National Academy of Sciences found much to like in the energy potential of laser fusion but recommended that the United States hold off major investments until ignition was achieved. The sun generates heat and light by jamming — fusing — hydrogen atoms together into helium.

Persons: We’re, ”, Kramer Akli, arth, ould Organizations: National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, United States Department of Energy, National Academy of Sciences Locations: United States

☆ Why we don't have fusion power plants yet, and what it'll take to get clean, limitless energy to market
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Two experts explain how long it could take until fusion power plants are possible. Fusion plants could theoretically produce almost 4 million times as much energy as burning coal or oil — with none of the carbon emissions. It's what Andrew Christlieb, who is part of a US Department of Energy fusion project at Michigan State University, calls "step zero." The US Department of Energy's Fusion Energy Sciences program has a $763 million budget for 2023, which could grow to over $1 billion next year. Achieving commercial fusion power in two decades won't be quick enough to address many countries' goals of adapting clean energy and limiting global warming by 2035.

Persons: It's, Andrew Christlieb, Christlieb, Michael Livingston, PPPL, Jean, Paul Pelissier, it's, Jason Laurea, Lawrence, Jonathan Menard, Menard, Bill Gates, Sam Altman Organizations: Service, Ignition, NIF, US Department of Energy, Michigan State University, Royal Society, Reactor, REUTERS, European Union, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics, US Department of Energy's Fusion Energy Sciences, Fusion Industry Association, Tech Locations: PPPL, Saint, Durance , Southern France, US, China, Russia, Lawrence Livermore, Princeton

☆ A Laser Fusion Breakthrough Gets a Bigger Burst of Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Kenneth Chang | More About Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

“We expected a similar yield,” Dr. Town said. The better-than-predicted result indicates that with a few tweaks, laser fusion can become markedly more efficient. “It was a little bit surprising that we did not achieve ignition on all of them,” Dr. Town said. Instead of laser energy arriving perfectly balanced to compress the hydrogen fuel capsule, a slight imbalance nudges the capsule off in one direction. “If you can couple effectively more energy to the hot spot, you should get more yield,” Dr. Town said.

Persons: “, ”, Siegfried Glenzer Organizations: TNT, Livermore, Accelerator Laboratory Locations: Menlo Park, Calif, Livermore

☆ The internet just went on a wild quest that could result in floating trains and cheap EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The internet went wild over claims scientists discovered a room-temperature superconductor. Here's how a room-temperature superconductor could change everything:Revolutionize the medical industryMRI machines currently depend on liquid helium coolant to keep cool enough to operate. A room-temperature superconductor would go a step further in helping create these fields under normal conditions. With room-temperature superconductors, EV makers might be able to take a closer step towards delivering cheap battery-run cars. This is where room-temperature superconductors could one day step in.

Persons: It's, gloriously, Dr Niladri Banerjee, Banerjee, Michael Fuhrer, Massoud Pedram, Eugene Hoshiko, they'd, Jason Laurea, Lawrence, Robert Knopes, Getty Images Elon, Tesla Organizations: Imperial College London, Theory, School of Physics, Monash University, University of Southern, Airport, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, MIT's, Science, Fusion Center, Fusion Systems, Getty Images, TechCrunch Locations: South Korea, Australia, University of Southern California, Shanghai, China, Pudong, levitating, Lawrence Livermore

☆ US scientists trying to harness the power of the sun have made a 2nd major breakthrough for the future of sustainable, green energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Why nuclear fusion is so important for global energy needsWe see the colossal power of nuclear fusion in action every day — the sun. Meaning that unlike fossil fuels, nuclear fusion doesn't contribute to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are driving climate change. It was a major breakthrough and the first time a fusion experiment had ever generated an energy surplus. Why nuclear fusion beats nuclear fissionCurrent nuclear power plants use fission to make energy. While fission creates a chain reaction, nuclear fusion reactors of the future would not, avoiding the risk of a meltdown.

Persons: Energy Jennifer Granholm, Lawrence, Jason Laurea, Paul Rhien, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Arjun Makhijani, Daniel Jassby, Jassby Organizations: Service, International Energy Agency, Department of Energy, Energy, Ignition, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Financial Times, Manhattan, International Atomic Energy Agency, Scientists, Institute for Energy, Environmental Research, Princeton Plasma Physics Locations: Wall, Silicon, Lawrence Livermore, That's

☆ US scientists repeat fusion power breakthrough, Financial Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Researchers at the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California repeated the breakthrough in an experiment on July 30 that produced a higher energy output than in December, the newspaper said, citing people with knowledge of the results. The same lab achieved a net energy gain in a fusion experiment using lasers on Dec. 5, 2022. The scientists focused a laser on a target of fuel to fuse two light atoms into a denser one, releasing the energy. The laboratory confirmed to the FT that energy gain had been achieved again at its laser facility, adding that analysis of the results was underway. The Lawrence Livermore National Lab and the U.S. Energy Department did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Persons: Damien Jemison, Lawrence, Lavanya, Leslie Adler Organizations: Target Chamber, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, REUTERS, Financial Times, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, U.S . Energy Department, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory federal, Livermore , California, U.S, Lawrence Livermore, California, Bengaluru

☆ Fusion power is still decades and billions of dollars away, even after this week's major scientific breakthrough
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The nuclear fusion breakthrough heralded on Tuesday was a historic event, culminating decades of research. At the same time, fusion power will not be contributing electricity to any power grid for at least a decade, according to most industry watchers. "We got out 3.15 megajoules, we put in 2.05 megajoules in the laser," said Mark Herrmann, a program director at Lawrence Livermore, on Tuesday. All of that energy went into the laser fusion reaction that showed net gain of about 1.1 megajoules — enough energy to boil a teakettle maybe two or three times. "This is a science achievement, not a practical one," Omar A. Hurricane, a chief scientist at Lawrence Livermore, told CNBC.

U.S. scientists have achieved “ignition” — a fusion reaction that produced more energy than it took to create — a critical milestone for nuclear fusion and a step forward in the pursuit of a nearly limitless source of clean energy, Energy Department officials said Tuesday. The process imploded a tiny capsule inside the hohlraum that is filled with deuterium and tritium, creating a fusion reaction. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory"We have taken the first tentative steps toward a clean energy source," said Jill Hruby, the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration. The Inflation Reduction Act provided millions in new funding for fusion projects and the White House this year convened the first fusion summit and developed a 10-year plan to commercialize fusion technology. A technician reviews an optic inside the preamplifier support structure at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., in 2012.

☆ Nuclear fusion breakthrough: Scientists generate more power than used to create reaction
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Fusion is the way that the sun makes power, but recreating a useful fusion reaction here on earth has eluded scientists for decades. The National Ignition Facility target chamber at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is where scientists shoot lasers and watch and measure what happens when those lasers collide on a fuel source. Reaching ignition means the fusion experiment produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy that used to drive the reaction. "For the first time on Earth, scientists have confirmed a fusion energy experiment released more power than it takes to initiate, proving the physical basis for fusion energy. But it's proven extremely challenging to sustain a fusion reaction here on earth, and scientists have been trying for decades.

☆ How nuclear fusion works, and why it's a big deal for green energy that scientists made a 'breakthrough'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US Department of Energy scientists produced a nuclear fusion reaction with a net energy gain. The US Department of Energy officially announced the milestone in fusion energy research on Tuesday. For the first time, researchers created a nuclear fusion reaction that produced more energy than they put into it. What is fusion energy and why is it a big deal? This illustration shows how lasers heat a target to the necessary conditions for nuclear fusion to occur.

Researchers for decades have attempted to recreate nuclear fusion – replicating the fusion that powers the sun. Nuclear fusion happens when two or more atoms are fused into one larger one, a process that generates a massive amount of energy as heat. Scientists across the globe have been inching toward the breakthrough, using different methods to try to achieve the same goal. This heat can then be used to warm water, create steam and power turbines to generate power. “The opposing argument is that this result is miles away from actual energy gain required for the production of electricity,” he said.

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