US scientists report ‘turning point’ in fusion energy
Milestone as more energy is produced from reaction than the amount put in for the first time
US scientists have announced an important milestone in the costly, decades-old quest to develop fusion energy, which, if harnessed successfully, promises a nearly inexhaustible energy source.
For the first time, experiments had produced more energy from fusion reactions than the amount of energy put into the fusion fuel, scientists at the federally funded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California said.
The team of researchers, led by physicist Omar Hurricane, described the achievement as important but said much more work was needed before fusion could become a viable energy source. The scientists noted that they did not produce self-heating nuclear fusion, known as ignition, needed for any fusion power plant.
Researchers have faced daunting scientific and engineering challenges in trying to develop nuclear fusion - the process that powers stars including our sun - for use by humankind.
"Really for the first time anywhere, we've gotten more energy out of this fuel than was put into the fuel. And that's quite unique. And that's kind of a major turning point, in a lot of our minds," Hurricane said. "I think a lot of people are jazzed."
Unlike fossil fuels or the fission process in nuclear power plants, fusion offers the prospect of abundant energy without pollution, radioactive waste or greenhouse gases.