Nuclear fusion breakthrough could change future of clean energy

it sounds too good to be true energy that is neither polluting nor radioactive nuclear fusion the same energy that powers the sun and stars fusing atoms has been an elusive Force an unsustainable energy for scientists to replicate on Earth too much energy goes in for what comes out now scientists at the Lawrence Livermore laboratory in California have made a breakthrough that they will announce Tuesday similar work is underway a general Fusion in Vancouver where they're pioneering plasmas to create a net energy gain Fusion is the Holy Grail of energy the industry's been chasing this for a long time achieving those conditions in a way that you get more energy out than what you put in uh is is a big important step for about 75 years the world has harnessed nuclear power using fission energy that comes from splitting atoms infusion atoms are joined creating bigger atoms also releasing energy what difference does that make well in fission heavier atoms are needed primarily uranium as well as Pluto which are radioactive and you're left with used nuclear Fuel That Remains contaminated for tens of thousands of years infusion lighter atoms such as hydrogen can be smashed together and what's produced are larger helium atoms creating even more powerful energy with little or no radioactive waste nuclear fission energy is a legacy that Canada in particular must deal with Ontario's Bruce nuclear plant stores more than a million spent radioactive bundles in huge containers for which a permanent disposal site must still be found the race for clean fusion power is on in Labs all over the world with its partner in the UK General Fusion plans to build a demonstration power plant that will be up and running in about four years with a full-scale commercial plant on the grid in the early 2030s you're creating a mini sun on the earth uh and so when you're doing that inside a machine you can imagine the damage that happens to it you can imagine the challenges with extracting that that energy and actually converting it to something useful and putting it on on the grid at one time Fusion seemed unattainable maybe even unnecessary pipe dream but in the era of climate change there is increasing awareness that clean energy solutions for future Generations have to be developed now Fusion could be a big part of that cleaner safer future Eric Sorensen Global News Toronto

Channel: Global News

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Keywords: global news, nuclear, nuclear fusion, nuclear energy, nuclear fusion energy, clean energy, science, technology, sci, tech, environment, green energy, what is clean energy, nuclear technology, nuclear tech, nuclear science, scientists, scientific breakthrough, future of clean energy, clean energy future, nuclear fission, nuclear research, research, California, US, US nuclear, zero-carbon energy

Id: Gs1ChmmWk1U

Length: 2min 21sec (141 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 13 2022