Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Could Gift Us ‘Near-Limitless’ Energy

Have researchers crossed the threshold in the quest to find “near-limitless, safe, clean” energy? The answer may be yes, if emerging reports are to be believed, with the US Department of Energy poised to make an official announcement soon. 

Essentially, scientists have figured out how to tap nuclear fusion to generate more energy output than what’s been put in, harnessing the process that powers the sun and stars to create a sustainable, affordable source of energy. 

According to Reuters, insiders confirm that the team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has achieved “net energy gain” for the first time through a fusion experiment involving lasers. 

The Guardian notes that the brightest minds in the industry have been working to unlock positive energy gain—known as ignition—since nuclear fusion research began in the 1950s, making this a major milestone. 

Dr Robbie Scott, from the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Central Laser Facility (CLF) Plasma Physics Group, who was part of the research, tells the publication this is a “momentous achievement.” 

However, experts have cautioned that while the breakthrough would be key proof of concept that nuclear fusion is viable, it’ll take a long while before the technology becomes a commercial mainstay. 

Going forward, researchers will have to look into ways to reproduce the ignition effect more frequently and at a lower cost, before this method of producing energy can realistically be used in power plants across the globe.

More information is likely to come at an upcoming media briefing held by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who will be announcing a “major scientific breakthrough,” though details haven’t been revealed just yet.

[via The Guardian and Reuters, cover image via Sequential5 | Dreamstime.com]