UK experiment reveals limitless clean power source is possible

A scientific experiment that imitates the way our sun generates energy has set a new record for energy generation, paving the way for the eventual development of a near-limitless source of energy, UK media reported.

The JET reactor tokamak in Oxford, United Kingdom, which looks like a giant donut-shaped machine, produced 59 megajoules of energy during a five-second burst of nuclear fusion, doubling the facility's previous record of 21.7 megajoules set in 1997.

Fusion, the procedure that helps stars shine so brightly, helps to bring together hydrogen atoms at ten times the temperature of the sun, where they bind and release an enormous amount of energy and form new elements.

Fission and Fusion

Today's nuclear energy is generated through a different process called fission, which involves the splitting of atoms rather than their fusion. However, this process generates waste that is radioactive for thousands of years. Additionally, it poses a risk in the event of an accident, such as the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, which was triggered by an earthquake and tsunami, reports CNN.

Fusion, on the other hand, is significantly safer, CNN reports, stating it produces little waste, and requires a small amount of readily available, naturally occurring fuel, including elements extracted from seawater. As the world transitions away from the fossil fuels that are causing climate change, this makes it an attractive option.

The enormous temperatures required for the fusion process, which can reach 150 million degrees Celsius, 10 times hotter than the sun's core, need a magnetic field.

"Our experiment demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to have a sustained fusion process using exactly the same fuel mix planned for future fusion power plants," said Tony Donné, CEO of EUROfusion at a press conference.

The research was carried out in collaboration with the UK Atomic Energy Authority by EUROfusion, a coalition of 4,800 experts, students, and staff from around Europe. The European Commission also chipped in some funding.

Fusion energy has tremendous promise. The fusion was powered by the elements deuterium and tritium, which are hydrogen isotopes. Those elements are found in saltwater and are anticipated to be used in commercial-scale fusion.

'Fusion energy has tremendous potential'

The fusion was powered by the elements deuterium and tritium, which are hydrogen isotopes. Those elements are found in seawater and are intended to be used in commercial-scale fusion.

"The energy you can get out of the fuel deuterium and tritium is massive. For example, powering the whole of current UK electrical demand for a day would require 0.5 tonnes of deuterium, which could be extracted from seawater -- where its concentration is low but plentiful," Tony Roulstone from the University of Cambridge's Department of Engineering told CNN.

He stated that the fusion produced by the tokamak, known as the Joint European Torus (JET), was comparable to that of a wind turbine and could power one house for a day.

However, if generated on a regular basis, he added that it could power thousands of houses.

Clean energy and climate crisis

Experts say the results indicate that nuclear fusion is no longer a far-fetched dream to solve the climate crisis.

"These landmark results have taken us a huge step closer to conquering one of the biggest scientific and engineering challenges of them all," said Ian Chapman, CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

The experiment's results are "exciting," according to Mark Wenman, a nuclear materials researcher at Imperial College London, who says they indicate "fusion energy is no longer just a dream of the far future — the engineering to make it a viable, clean power source is doable and happening today."

JET has been subjected to such high temperatures and pressures that this is likely the final experiment it will undergo.