Why fusion could be a clean-energy breakthrough
Highlights-
- The major advance in fusion research announced in Washington on Tuesday was decades in coming, with scientists for the first time able to engineer a reaction that produced more power than was used to ignite it.
- Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California started a reaction that produced about 1.5 times more energy than was contained in the light used to produce it.
- The promise of fusion is enticing. If harnessed, it could produce nearly limitless, carbon-free energy to supply humanity’s electricity needs without raising global temperatures and worsening climate change. Fusion also does not produces nuclear waste.
- There are decades more to wait before fusion could one day maybe be used to produce electricity in the real world.
(Credits- Jagran Josh)
What is nuclear fusion?
The reaction happens when two light nuclei merge to form a single heavier nucleus. Because the total mass of that single nucleus is less than the mass of the two original nuclei, the leftover mass is energy that is released in the process.
Why is fusion so hard?
It takes extreme heat and pressure to start the reaction. It also takes precision. The energy must be applied precisely to counteract the outward force of the fusion fuel.
What is ITER?
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a collaboration of 35 nations launched in 1985(India is a part) . It is located in France. It aims to build the world’s largest tokamak to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy. The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion.
How is this recent experiment different from ITER?
Fusion energy can be harnessed in two ways-
- First is Inertial Fusion – It uses high energy laser beams to achieve fusion temp. It was used in the California Experiment.
- Second is Magnetic Fusion- It uses magnetic fields to achieve high temperature. This technique is used in ITER.
Way Forward- Nuclear Fusion offers a way to meet energy needs without carbon emissions and generation of nuclear waste. Effective collaboration among countries to develop and share its benefits augurs well for whole humanity.
Syllabus- Mains; GS-3; Science and Tech
