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Private sector funding for fusion energy has surged to nearly US$10 billion, driven by technological advances, climate urgency, and major investments from tech billionaires, with several companies aiming to commercialize fusion power by the 2030s, despite the significant technical and construction challenges involved.
The ITER project has achieved a major milestone by completing a powerful central solenoid magnet capable of levitating an aircraft carrier, which is crucial for sustaining the superheated plasma needed for nuclear fusion. This international effort demonstrates significant progress toward developing clean, sustainable energy, with the first reactor operation expected by 2035, despite ongoing technical challenges.
The United Kingdom's Joint European Torus (JET) has set a new world record for nuclear fusion energy output, generating 69.26 megajoules of energy from just 0.21 milligrams of fuel, equivalent to the energy from 2 kilograms of coal. This breakthrough showcases the potential of nuclear fusion technology, with JET serving as a pathfinder for future prototypes like ITER and DEMO. While commercial fusion power stations are still years away, these advancements demonstrate the progress and multiple paths toward achieving this goal.
The Joint European Torus (JET) in the UK has achieved a new fusion energy world record, producing 69 megajoules in its final experiment after 40 years of research. Despite this milestone, the facility still falls short of achieving a net positive energy balance. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France, set to be JET's successor, aims to produce outputs of up to 700 megawatts, representing a significant step towards establishing reliable and renewable energy. While progress has been made, significant challenges remain in the quest for practical fusion energy production.
Scientists in Britain have broken the record for generating fusion energy using the Joint European Torus (JET) machines, producing 69 megajoules for five seconds with 0.2 milligrams of fuel, enough to power 41,000 homes. The achievement could pave the way for a clean, safe, and abundant energy source to combat climate change. The JET facility's research findings have implications for global fusion projects, including ITER, and could lead to a prototype fusion power plant by 2050.
The UK-based JET laboratory has set a new world record for energy generated by nuclear fusion, producing 69 megajoules of energy over five seconds. This breakthrough brings us closer to the potential of endless clean energy production, but significant challenges remain in scaling up the process for commercial use. The UK's future role in European fusion research is uncertain following Brexit, with the government opting not to re-join the Euratom programme and instead committing £650m to national research programs. The UK is now aiming to build the world's first fusion power plant in Nottinghamshire with operations beginning in the 2040s.
Scientists are decommissioning the Joint European Torus (JET) nuclear-fusion reactor near Oxford, UK, to study the process in detail and ensure safety and viability for future fusion power plants. The facility's dismantling will provide crucial knowledge for the construction of the ITER fusion reactor in France and the design of the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) in Britain. The process involves removing radioactive tritium from materials and recycling components, with the aim of minimizing overall waste and reusing resources.
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in southern France is working on harnessing fusion reactions to provide a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear fission. Fusion, the same energy source that powers the sun, could potentially offer unlimited energy without producing radioactive waste. The project, which has faced setbacks and increased costs, aims to achieve fusion power by 2035. Meanwhile, American company Westinghouse is developing a small fission reactor set to go online in 2029, offering a portable and sustainable energy solution.
The world's largest experimental nuclear fusion reactor, the JT-60SA, has been inaugurated in Japan. Fusion, which involves fusing atomic nuclei instead of splitting them, is seen as a potential solution to humanity's future energy needs. The goal of the reactor is to investigate the feasibility of fusion as a safe, large-scale, and carbon-free source of net energy. The JT-60SA is a joint project between the European Union and Japan and is a precursor to the under-construction International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France. Fusion carries no risk of catastrophic nuclear accidents and produces less radioactive waste than current power plants.
Japan's JT-60SA tokamak has achieved "first plasma," marking a significant milestone in the development of nuclear fusion reactors. The tokamak, a donut-shaped device, successfully created and contained a super-hot plasma, bringing us closer to harnessing the immense energy released by fusion. The JT-60SA is currently the largest tokamak to reach this stage, but it will soon be surpassed by ITER, a larger tokamak under construction. The hope is that ITER will demonstrate the feasibility of commercial fusion power, paving the way for a future of limitless clean energy.
Researchers have discovered a method to mitigate damaging runaway electrons in tokamak fusion devices by harnessing Alfvén waves. This breakthrough could have significant implications for the advancement of fusion energy, including the ongoing ITER project in France. The circular process of using Alfvén waves to disrupt the formation of avalanches of runaway electrons was observed in experiments and supported by theoretical models. The findings could lead to the development of tokamak designs that naturally mitigate runaway electron damage, addressing a major challenge in fusion energy research.