Scientists at an American laboratory have apparently taken an important step in nuclear fusion research. U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm will announce “a major scientific breakthrough” on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California announced Sunday. According to the media, an experimental fusion reactor was the first to generate more energy than is consumed in the process.
A “net energy gain” of 120 percent was achieved, Britain’s Financial Times reported Sunday, citing three people involved in the study. The Washington Post also reported on the purported breakthrough, quoting a fusion scientist who said, “For most of us, it was only a matter of time.”
The U.S. Department of Energy and the lab initially declined to confirm the reports because the “analysis is still ongoing.” They did, however, publish a statement from the minister before Tuesday.
Meltdown at extreme temperatures
In nuclear fusion, atomic nuclei are fused together at extreme temperatures. This releases enormous amounts of energy. Conventional nuclear power plants generate energy by splitting atomic nuclei.
Nuclear fusion requires a significant amount of energy. According to supporters, nuclear fusion could eventually become an alternative to burning fossil fuels and controversial nuclear fission. Although dozens of experimental reactors have been built since the 1950s, none have succeeded in generating more energy than is required for the process.
Source: Krone
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