Powering Net Zero Commitments

Scientists getting closer to leveraging nuclear fusion as a way to slow down climate change

Share this article on your social networks.

A group of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a spinoff company, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, have published a series of research papers indicating that their SPARC compact fusion reactor is likely to work and is about 5 years away.

The seven peer-reviewed articles appeared in the Journal of Plasma Physics.

“These studies put SPARC on a firm scientific basis. When we build and operate the machine as described in these papers, we fully expect to meet our target for fusion gain and produce a wealth of new and important information on burning plasmas,” wrote guest editorial author, Martin Greenwald.

The scientists expect to begin construction of the reactor, called SPARC, as early as next spring and for the construction to take only three or four years, the New York Times reports.

Scientists have long theorized that fusion is a technology that could help to address climate change. Nuclear fusion creates enormous amounts of energy when two lighter nuclei are brought together to form a single nucleus. SPARC will fuse hydrogen isotopes to form helium.

Traditional nuclear power plants deploy the process of nuclear fission. In nuclear fission, energy is released when heavy radioactive elements like uranium decay into other elements.

There would be many benefits to using nuclear fusion for energy. A fusion reactor won’t use fossil fuels and it will be carbon-free. It would also be less radioactive and create less radioactive waste.

However, building a fusion plasma plant is extremely complicated because it must be able to withstand temperatures higher than that of the sun. For this purpose, the scientists have developed a device called a tokamak, which is a doughnut-shaped chamber where the fusion reaction takes place. The ultra-hot plasma cloud is contained using magnetic forces.

Some nuclear physicists who specialize in fusion energy are positive about the possibility that SPARC will work but doubtful about the timeframe for its execution.

Bob Mumgaard, CEO and co-founder of Commonwealth Fusion told the Times that the team wants their fusion reactor to be operational as soon as possible so it can help curb the effects of climate change.

Fusion technology has been studied for close to a century and SPARC is not the world’s only fusion-power project.

The largest one is ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) located in southern France, where representatives of 35 nations are working together to build the world’s largest tokamak. The scientist have been working on the project for 35 years and construction of the experiential reactor started in 2013 and is due to be finished in 2025.

TAE Fusion Power is working to create the same process that the sun uses to create light. Where the sun fuses predominately hydrogen atoms to give off energetic light, TAE is working on a solution that fuse hydrogen and boron to produce energy.

First Light Fusion works with advanced implosion processes that reach high temperatures and compressions to achieve fusion, amongst other experimental approaches. First Light Fusion Ltd was spun out from the University of Oxford in July 2011. Scientists at various academic institutions and startups are working to replicate nuclear fusion – the process that powers the sun, but it’s a complicated process that many think is still a few decades off

Related Posts

BreakingBoundaries
The most important scientific discovery of our time: NetFlix
Netflix states that the film, just released, centres around David Attenborough and Swedish Professor Johan Rockström's research and records “the
Read More
climaterulings
4 Massive Climate Rulings Prove that Big Oil, Gas & Coal Are Running Out Of Hiding Places
3 global fossil fuel giants have been on the end of embarrassing rebukes over their inaction or inadequate action on
Read More
net_zero_carbon
New IEA report gives meaning to Net Zero – five key insights
The IEA has released its long-awaited roadmap highlighting how the globe’s energy sector could slash its planet-heating emissions to net
Read More
Methane emissions
Lowering Methane Emissions Is The Fastest Way To Slow Global Heating- UN Report
The new UN report discovered that methane emissions can be halved by 2030 with existing technology and at a reasonable
Read More
netzero
Increasing Climate Change Promises are Moving the Needle
Recent and increasing promises concerning climate change made by major countries could bring the earth a fraction closer to the
Read More
yosemite
Shocking results for nature’s climate change resilience – Retracing a century old wild life survey
When Berkely researchers following in the steps of Joseph Grinnell, a biologist who over a century ago developed a pioneering
Read More
ironmanvsclimatechange
Tech billionaires’ Ironman approach to climate change vs. planting trees
3 of the 5 richest individuals in the world, are all aiming to create new technologies which can lower the
Read More
climateaction 100plus
World First Net Zero Company Benchmark of the World’s Largest Corporate Emitters
Climate Action 100+, a $54 trillion investor coalition, released a report that evaluated several companies' climate change performance.
Read More
why do we need to conserve resources
74% of Economists Says Net Zero Actions are Economically Desirable
The majority of the international climate economists polled in February stated they had become increasingly concerned about climate change over
Read More