Researchers working for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) have made a breakthrough in the pursuit of clean and virtually inexhaustible energy source. In a series of experiments carried out in the last one month, scientists were able to achieve a controlled fusion reaction for more than an hour which is a breakthrough towards the development of commercial fusion power.
Nuclear fusion, the process which occurs in the sun and other stars, has been considered as the ultimate solution to the energy crisis. Unlike the current fission reactors, fusion does not produce long-lived radioactive wastes and can utilise hydrogen isotopes that are easily available and constitute the major component of water.
The ITER success was achieved after long years of research and development and billions of dollars spent for that. The major innovation that enabled the plasma, the state of matter, which is necessary for the fusion to occur, to be confined and sustained for longer periods of time was a new magnetic confinement system.
While the earlier experiments had produced fusion reactions that lasted only for some few seconds, the one hour of sustained reaction at ITER is a massive step up. It shows that the major technical problems of the fusion have been solved, thus opening the way for the construction of the fusion power stations.
The announcement has been welcomed with joy and enthusiasm by the scientific fraternity and the proponents of clean energy. Fusion is considered as a promising solution for the climate change and the increasing energy demand without using the traditional resources such as coal, oil and natural gas.
But, the specialists state that the path to the implementation of the fusion power on the electrical grid is still a long one. However, there are still some engineering issues to overcome in the further development of the technology and in the development of power plants which are capable of converting the energy produced by the fusion reactions into electricity. Most of the experts are of the opinion that it will take at least twenty years for the first commercial fusion plants to be developed.
However, the ITER breakthrough has led to the increased attention and funding for the fusion research. A number of start-ups supported by venture capital and tech millionaires and billionaires are now competing to create smaller and cheaper fusion reactors. These companies are targeting the development of commercial fusion power and some of them have set their goal to build a demonstration plant in the coming ten years.
The possibilities of the application of fusion power are enormous in the world energy sector. One kilogram of fusion fuel will give the same amount of energy as 10 million kilograms of conventional fuel. Fusion plants would not emit greenhouse gases and would not need large land areas which makes such plants suitable for densely populated areas.
The discovery has also brought new concerns on the energy policy and investment in the future. There are those who believe that governments should pour even more money into the development of fusion as a way of speeding up the process, while there are others who say that more should be done to implement current forms of renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
Some of the political consequences of fusion power are also being discussed. The nations that are at the forefront of the development of fusion technology will get a number of economic and strategic benefits. This has raised questions on how best to organize the world in a way that may allow for the provision of the fusion energy to all people without them fighting over it.
Now that the news of the ITER breakthrough are out, it can be seen that we are at a new phase in the search for clean energy. However, there are still many problems that need to be solved, but the steady-state plasma operation at ITER has made us closer to the star power here on the Earth.
The next few years will be decisive in identifying how fast this promising technology can be advanced and implemented in order to meet the global energy and climate change needs.
