The Wishful Thinking of Nuclear Fusion Energy By L. J. Reinders
“ I would like nuclear fusion to become a practical power source. It would provide an INEXHAUSTIBLE SUPPLY OF ENERGY, without pollution or global warming.”—Stephen Hawking 12
ILLUSTRATION: PAU DEL TORO
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on’t expect scientists to harness the power of nuclear fusion anytime soon. Fusion occurs when atomic nuclei join to create a heavier atom, releasing power that lights up the stars, including the star we call the sun. Researchers have a lot of challenges to meet before they can control that process efficiently on Earth and use the resulting energy to light up homes. But they continue to try. JET laboratory in the United Kingdom announced in February that scientists there doubled their previous record by squeezing together two forms of hydrogen to create a “mini star” yielding “59 megajoules of energy over five seconds or 11 megawatts of power,” according to the BBC. By some estimates, that’s enough energy to power more than 700 homes. The BBC suggests fusion could hold the key to unlimited supplies of low-carbon, low-radiation energy. However, L.J. Reinders, who has identified basic flaws in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, suspects that’s highly unlikely in this century.
Luckbox | May 2022
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