The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Technology => Topic started by: Elderberry on December 12, 2022, 01:35:25 am
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FINANCIAL TIMES by Tom Wilson 12/11/2022
US government scientists have made a breakthrough in the pursuit of limitless, zero-carbon power by achieving a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time, according to three people with knowledge of preliminary results from a recent experiment.
Physicists have since the 1950s sought to harness the fusion reaction that powers the sun, but no group had been able to produce more energy from the reaction than it consumes — a milestone known as net energy gain or target gain, which would help prove the process could provide a reliable, abundant alternative to fossil fuels and conventional nuclear energy.
The federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, which uses a process called inertial confinement fusion that involves bombarding a tiny pellet of hydrogen plasma with the world’s biggest laser, had achieved net energy gain in a fusion experiment in the past two weeks, the people said.
Although many scientists believe fusion power stations are still decades away, the technology’s potential is hard to ignore. Fusion reactions emit no carbon, produce no long-lived radioactive waste and a small cup of the hydrogen fuel could theoretically power a house for hundreds of years.
The US breakthrough comes as the world wrestles with high energy prices and the need to rapidly move away from burning fossil fuels to stop average global temperatures reaching dangerous levels. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration is ploughing almost $370bn into new subsidies for low-carbon energy in an effort to slash emissions and win a global race for next-generation clean tech.
More: https://www.ft.com/content/4b6f0fab-66ef-4e33-adec-cfc345589dc7 (https://www.ft.com/content/4b6f0fab-66ef-4e33-adec-cfc345589dc7)
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Very cool.
But realize the power it will take generate the laser of this magnitude, and the power needed to create and maintain the H2 Plasma Seed.
I'd bet the overall electricty net generated is pretty small to net yield.
Conventional nukes are already a cost effective safe way to generate electricty. But who knows what might be created in the future. Much like someone a 1000 years ago marveling over a modern automobile today.
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Wouldn’t it be cool if mankind was a type one or higher on the Kardashev scale?
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Wouldn’t it be cool if mankind was a type one or higher on the Kardashev scale?
A lot cooler than dropping one on the Kardashian scale. :silly:
Got to wonder which way mankind is really going.
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What is nuclear fusion, and why Tuesday’s announcement is important
By Evan Simko-Bednarski
December 13, 2022 10:19am
The US Department of Energy announced Tuesday that scientists at a national lab have — for the first time ever — generated more energy from nuclear fusion than the process took to start.
Fusion — which powers stars like our sun — has the potential to create a massive amount of energy with precious little pollution, making it the holy grail of clean energy production.
“This is an announcement that has been decades in the making,” the DOE said in a statement on Twitter.
The agency said scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California had made a significant leap in fusion research, generating a net gain in energy for the first time on Dec. 5.
“This breakthrough will change the future of clean power and America’s national defense forever,” the DOE said.
The lab —which is primarily focused on nuclear weapons research —has achieved “a significant milestone,” Carlos Paz-Soldan, a professor of applied physics at Columbia University, told The Post Monday.
“It shows that such a thing is physically possible,” he said.
more
https://nypost.com/2022/12/13/what-is-nuclear-fusion-and-why-tuesdays-announcement-important/
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What is nuclear fusion, and why Tuesday’s announcement is important
By Evan Simko-Bednarski
December 13, 2022 10:19am
The US Department of Energy announced Tuesday that scientists at a national lab have — for the first time ever — generated more energy from nuclear fusion than the process took to start.
Fusion — which powers stars like our sun — has the potential to create a massive amount of energy with precious little pollution, making it the holy grail of clean energy production.
“This is an announcement that has been decades in the making,” the DOE said in a statement on Twitter.
The agency said scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California had made a significant leap in fusion research, generating a net gain in energy for the first time on Dec. 5.
“This breakthrough will change the future of clean power and America’s national defense forever,” the DOE said.
The lab —which is primarily focused on nuclear weapons research —has achieved “a significant milestone,” Carlos Paz-Soldan, a professor of applied physics at Columbia University, told The Post Monday.
“It shows that such a thing is physically possible,” he said.
more
https://nypost.com/2022/12/13/what-is-nuclear-fusion-and-why-tuesdays-announcement-important/
They've said this for years. Now prove it..
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and why Tuesday’s announcement is important....as a distraction from the destruction of our fossil fuel infrastructure.