“It strongly confirms our strategy.” Fusion has long been promoted as a future green energy source. If the same nuclear reaction that powers the Sun could be duplicated on Earth, it could provide plentiful energy with small amounts of nuclear waste and no greenhouse gases. But producing net energy has proved elusive.
A key element for the development of fusion energy is that the basic scientific principles cannot be tested on a small scale. A large system is necessary to ultimately test the soundness of its physics and technology basis. Only in a large system can the conditions be provided allowing self-sustained production of fusion power.
To date, the heaviest elements were created in fusion-evaporation reactions with doubly magic projectile or target nuclei.
Nuclear fusion is widely seen as the holy grail of clean energy. It's the same process that powers the sun and other stars, and has the potential to provide a significant amount of clean energy. In a recent breakthrough, scientists generated enough energy to power roughly 12,000 households for a short period.
Scientists and engineers near the English city of Oxford have set a nuclear fusion energy record in the JET tokamak, they announced Thursday, bringing the clean, futuristic power source another step closer to reality.
• The use of fusion energy will be inherently safe and not pollute the environment. • There is an urgent need to develop fusion materials which can withstand the harsh environment of high neutron and power fluxes. • Renewable energies will not be able to meet the demand of all energy consuming sectors in highly developed industrial countries.