What is it?
Fusion energy is the result of a nuclear fusion, where atoms are fused together through immense pressure and heat to generate energy. The process used to achieve fusion is the same one at play on the sun, but, obviously, on a considerably smaller scale.
Very simply, two light nuclei, the central core of an atom, are merge to form a single, heavier nucleus. This then releases energy.
Don’t confuse fusion with fission, where atoms are split to create energy.
Why should I care?
Fusion is vitally important to the planet and all its inhabitants.
It offers a carbon-free solution to creating energy that is much more sustainable, with the major by-product of fusion being helium, a non-toxic gas.
It also possesses endless potential. Atom fusing, when done correctly, can produce nearly 400mln-times more energy than a chemical reaction, such as burning coal.
Unlike nuclear fission, which was responsible for the Chernobyl accident in 1986, and more recently Fukushima in 2011, the risk of meltdown is virtually zero. If any disturbance does take place, the atoms cool within seconds.
So, what’s the problem?
The main issue with nuclear fusion up until this point is that the process uses more energy than it produces, resulting in a negative energy balance.
Scientists around the world have struggled to resolve this issue to date.
Several methods, such as cold fusion, which uses the same process at a lower temperature and therefore uses less energy initially, have been attempted but with no conclusive results to indicate it is the answer to the problem.
Who is at the vanguard of nuclear fusion?
The four most advanced companies in the sector, which account for 85% of private sector funding, are Commonwealth Fusion Systems, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, TAE Technologies based in California, Tokamak Energy, in Oxford, and General Fusion, a Canadian start-up.
Worth a mention too are Marvel Fusion, based in Germany, and HB11 from Australia.
The fledgling industry is thought to number just 35 companies.
Who is investing in it?
General Fusion, backed by Microsoft and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, won approval to construct and operate a fusion demonstrator, with building to begin next year and operation hopefully beginning in 2025 at a site in Culham, just south of Oxford.
There is also large private sector investment into the industry, with 18 fusion companies around the world having received US$1.8bn in financial backing, according to a study by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
So, what’s next?
Recent discoveries suggest a breakthrough in the fusion process is potentially on the horizon.
Early tests at the MAST Upgrade, the UK’s national fusion experiment at the Culham site mentioned above, have shown the Super-X divertor, an exhaust system, reduces heat in the process 10-fold, possibly swinging the pendulum towards greater energy output than input.
Even more promising was the work conducted at the National Ignition Facility, a laser-based research centre in California.
In August it produced 1.3 megajoules from fusion reactions, 25-times higher than the output in 2018, and eight times higher than tests it conducted in spring this year.
Breakthroughs like these are key in hopefully achieving commercial-level fusion reactors, a target that could be reached by the 2030s according to Swiss investment bank UBS, citing research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.