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Added on the 14/04/2022 18:09:53 - Copyright : Euronews EN
Huge amounts of money have been spent around the world on developing nuclear fusion.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced a “major scientific breakthrough” Tuesday in the decades-long quest to harness fusion, the energy that powers the sun and stars. The achievement will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power, Granholm and other officials said.
Scientists in Britain say they have smashed a previous record for generating "sustained" fusion energy, on the protracted path towards harnessing a power source considered cheap and clean. A team at the Joint European Torus (JET) facility near Oxford in central England generated 59 megajoules of sustained energy during an experiment in December, more than doubling a 1997 record. SOUNDBITE
Nuclear fusion has long been the stuff of science fiction. The theory is straightforward: smash two atomic nuclei together to obtain a single, heavier one. The process has the advantage of not creating any radioactive waste or greenhouse gases. Yet it has long been a pipe dream due to insurmountable technical challenges. However, a recent series of discoveries and technological advances have triggered a wave of optimism among both scientists and investors.
A ground-breaking fusion reactor built by Chinese scientists is underscoring Beijing's determination to be at the core of clean energy technology, as it eyes a fully-functioning plant by 2050.
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