US scientists achieve net energy gain for second time in a fusion reaction
US scientists achieve net energy gain for second time in a fusion reaction
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility achieved the feat using lasers to fuse two atoms
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*Not actually net total. That is still far below positive output.
From https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/13/us-scientists-confirm-major-breakthrough-in-nuclear-fusion (linked in the original article):
Immense hurdles remain, however, in the quest for fusion power plants. While the pellet released more energy than the lasers put in, the calculation does not include the 300 or so megajoules needed to power up the lasers in the first place. The NIF lasers fire about once a day, but a power plant would need to heat targets 10 times per second. Then there is the cost of the targets. The ones used in the US experiment cost tens of thousands of dollars, but for a viable power plant, they would need to cost pence. Another issue is how to get the energy out as heat.
Still, these stepping stones are encouraging progress.
Not really. Laser Fusion will never lead to a power plant and nobody but the press thinks so. This is military weapons science, nothing else.