![]() Artistic rendering of nuclear fusion reactor, which reaches temperatures hotter than the sun.įusion, a separate process, is a nuclear reaction where atomic nuclei of low mass fuse to form a heavier nucleus with an accompanying release of energy. Large scale plants have high initial capital investment and its waste products require very long-term storage if recycling efforts are not employed. It is well understood, and advanced fission reactor systems can further amplify its benefits in smaller packages with even stronger safety performance than current designs.įission reactor systems can be dangerous when poorly-designed or -managed, as events in Chernobyl and Fukushima have shown. It provides very reliable, low emission energy, is long-lasting, and has the lowest annual mortality rate of any energy resource. The energy produced by the reaction heats water, which produces steam to turn turbines and ultimately produce electricity.įission has many advantages. Nuclear fission releases heat energy by splitting atoms. The plants rely on either fossil fuels, nuclear fission or renewable sources like hydro to turn the turbines.įission powers today’s electricity-producing nuclear reactors. Power plants generate electricity by converting mechanical power, like the rotation of a turbine into electrical power. He is hard at work solving some of the problems that will make a commercially viable fusion reactor possible. Nuclear engineer Chase Taylor is a senior staff scientist with Idaho National Laboratory, a nuclear research facility. That will prove the concept of an economically viable alternative contributor to the electric grid. Yet, in 2025, scientists plan to fire up the first fusion reactor slated to produce more energy than it takes to run it. Although studied since the 1920s, scientists have yet to overcome technological issues and the economics of this process that promises to deliver energy in the future. ![]() Nuclear fusion is viewed by many as the holy grail of clean, renewable energy.
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