{"id":629875,"date":"2023-04-15T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-15T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/15\/nuclear-fusion-is-not-a-silver-bullet-solution\/"},"modified":"2023-04-15T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T19:00:00","slug":"nuclear-fusion-is-not-a-silver-bullet-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/15\/nuclear-fusion-is-not-a-silver-bullet-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuclear Fusion Is Not A Silver Bullet Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pagecontent\">\n<div>\n<div id=\"singleArticle__sidebar\">\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d32r1sh890xpii.cloudfront.net\/avatars\/medium\/50381fcea6141763cced7f0cb1297f7a.jpg\" alt=\"Haley Zaremba\" title=\"Haley Zaremba\" previous-src=\"data:image\/png;base64,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\"><\/p>\n<p>Haley Zaremba<\/p>\n<p>Haley Zaremba is a writer and journalist based in Mexico City. She has extensive experience writing and editing environmental\u00a0features, travel pieces, local news in the\u2026<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/contributors\/Haley-Zaremba\">More Info<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><h3>Premium Content<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t    <\/ul>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"singleArticle__content\" data-spons=\"0\" data-id=\"33509\">\n<p><span>By <a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/contributors\/Haley-Zaremba\">Haley Zaremba<\/a> &#8211; Apr 15, 2023, 2:00 PM CDT<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"key_points\">\n<ul>\n<li>Nuclear fusion research has achieved net positive energy, but it is still a net energy drain due to the high energy cost of the laser.<\/li>\n<li>Cost is the main obstacle to commercializing nuclear fusion, and it is unlikely to compete with renewable energy sources anytime soon.<\/li>\n<li>Nuclear fusion may still play a role in a diverse energy mix in the future, alongside other sources like nuclear fission, to meet different energy needs at different times.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-content\">\n<p><html><body><\/p>\n<p>When the idea of re-creating the process that powers the sun here on Earth felt more like a thought experiment or a science fiction premise than a viable part of our global energy mix, it was easy to imagine equally far-fetched outcomes. We imagined that fusion would be limitless, unstoppable, the holy grail of clean energy and a silver bullet for the climate crisis. But now that commercial nuclear fusion is finally growing closer to reality, it\u2019s time to ask questions about the actual logistics of scaling the technology up and out, and to acknowledge and account for its various limitations.<\/p>\n<p>Fusion technology is seeing fast and furious advancement. There have been many major and minor breakthroughs in recent months and years as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/fusion-industry-suddenly-white-hot-after-u-s-lab-breakthrough-11671026572\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">renewed interest and investment<\/a>\u00a0have been poured into fusion research and development. But one experiment in particular has tipped the commercial nuclear fusion scales from pipe dream to possibility. Last December, researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California made a massive breakthrough when they became the first team to finally break through what is still nuclear fusion\u2019s most significant:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/content\/article\/historic-explosion-long-sought-fusion-breakthrough\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">creating net positive energy from the reaction<\/a>. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/3774082-five-takeaways-from-the-fusion-energy-breakthrough\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">now legendary experiment<\/a>\u00a0in California used lasers to beam 2.05 megajoules of light onto a tiny amount of fusion fuel (about the size of a peppercorn), sparking an explosion that ultimately produced 3.15 MJ of energy \u2013 approximately the equivalent of three sticks of dynamite.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s an important caveat to their massive achievement. While the NIF experiment created more energy than was directed beamed into its target, it still was a net energy drain. The laser in the experiment still burned far more energy than just what was beamed onto the fuel, and more than what was ultimately produced. In fact, Wired reported last year that in all likelihood, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/the-real-fusion-energy-breakthrough-is-still-decades-away\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the real fusion energy breakthrough is still decades away<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The main thing standing in the way of commercialized nuclear fusion is cost. At present, nuclear fusion research is ridiculously expensive. The up-front costs for building facilities capable of hosting a fusion reaction are enormous. For this reason, the vast majority of fusion experiments have been publicly funded, as governments were more or less the only entities with deep enough pockets to afford it. But even ITER, the world\u2019s biggest fusion experiment co-funded by 35 nations in the South of France, is currently\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.neimagazine.com\/news\/newsmore-delays-for-iter-10511382\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vastly over budget and behind schedule<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But the promise of nuclear fusion remains alluring, and money continues to flow into finding a way to make fusion scientifically and economically viable. The Biden administration\u2019s Inflation Reduction Act earmarked $280 million for fusion projects. Private entities, too, have\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Energy-General\/The-Race-For-Nuclear-Fusion-Is-Going-Private.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increasingly gotten involved<\/a>\u00a0in fusion in recent years as its potential for future profitability comes into view. That list includes such heavy hitters as Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, Lockheed Martin, Goldman Sachs, Legal &#038; General, and Chevron.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So far, however, no one has cracked the code on how to make nuclear fusion anything close to affordable. It\u2019s difficult to imagine that nuclear fusion could possibly become cost-competitive with renewable energies like wind and solar any time soon \u2013 if at all. \u201cBut fusion may still find its place, because the grid needs energy in different forms and at different times,\u201d Wired wrote in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/no-fusion-energy-wont-be-limitless\/?fbclid=IwAR3eS9TZJsVFGYOWK-RDGiVjVO6GvKU7rgczrm9Xog4dxsIuMCNZUrxDhyE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent report<\/a>. But that place will likely be one part of a varied and diverse energy mix, much like how nuclear fission fits into the current energy landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite what some grandiose headlines have promised, nuclear fusion will likely fill some important energy niches, but it will never serve all of our energy needs. That doesn\u2019t mean, however, that the research unfolding now isn\u2019t worth it. In order to build toward a sustainable, carbon-free future, every form of clean energy production counts. And just because we can\u2019t imagine an avenue for cheap and abundant nuclear fusion now, it doesn\u2019t mean it will never happen. But we can be certain it\u2019s not happening any time soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com<\/p>\n<p><strong>More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Energy-General\/The-Economics-Behind-Europes-Energy-Rebound.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>The Economics Behind Europe\u2019s Energy Rebound<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Natural-Gas\/China-Seeks-To-Expand-Sources-Of-Stable-Gas-Supplies.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>China Seeks To Expand Sources Of Stable Gas Supplies<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Energy-General\/Understanding-The-Atomic-Structure-Of-Energy-Storage-Devices.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Understanding The Atomic Structure Of Energy Storage Devices<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/body><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t    <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t    <\/html><\/div>\n<div>\n<h5>Download The Free Oilprice App Today<\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/in\/app\/oilprice\/id1389772617?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/d1o9e4un86hhpc.cloudfront.net\/a\/img\/cl\/app\/appstoredownload.svg\"><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=oilprice.android.app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"169\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/d1o9e4un86hhpc.cloudfront.net\/a\/img\/cl\/app\/androidbutton.png\" previous-src=\"https:\/\/d1o9e4un86hhpc.cloudfront.net\/a\/img\/cl\/app\/androidbutton.png\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/\">Back to homepage<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d32r1sh890xpii.cloudfront.net\/avatars\/medium\/50381fcea6141763cced7f0cb1297f7a.jpg\" alt=\"Haley Zaremba\" title=\"Haley Zaremba\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>Haley Zaremba<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t            Haley Zaremba is a writer and journalist based in Mexico City. She has extensive experience writing and editing environmental\u00a0features, travel pieces, local news in the\u2026\t          <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/contributors\/Haley-Zaremba\">More Info<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>Related posts<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oilprice.com\/#\" id=\"join-discussion\">Leave a comment<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Energy-General\/Nuclear-Fusion-Is-Not-A-Silver-Bullet-Solution.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Christeen Mongold<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Haley Zaremba Haley Zaremba is a writer and journalist based in Mexico City. She has extensive experience writing and editing environmental\u00a0features, travel pieces, local news in the\u2026 More Info Premium Content By Haley Zaremba &#8211; Apr 15, 2023, 2:00 PM CDT Nuclear fusion research has achieved net positive energy, but it is still a net [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":629876,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[534,27688,1179],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-629875","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-financial","8":"category-fusion","9":"category-nuclear"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}