Solar power and fusion reactors

Can we build a fusion reactor?

A fusion reactor promises almost limitless energy—if we can build it. Physicist Tammy Ma explains how her team achieved fusion ignition, a crucial milestone powered by the world's largest laser. About Tammy Ma

Can nuclear fusion be used as an energy source?

Short for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, Iter was built to test a long-held dream of determining whether nuclear fusion, a process that does not release any planet-warming emissions as by-products, can be harnessed as an energy source and eventually generate power at a commercial scale.

How does solar fusion work?

Solar fusion proceeds through a three-stage process. First, two protons (hydrogen atoms stripped of their electrons) react to produce a deuteron, a positron and a neutrino. Then the deuteron, 2 H, captures a proton to form the helium isotope 3 He (helium-3), and then two 3 He nuclei fuse to form 4 He with the emission of two protons.

Is nuclear fusion a new world record?

Nuclear fusion has produced more energy than ever before in an experiment, bringing the world a step closer to the dream of limitless, clean power. The new world record has been set at the UK-based JET laboratory. Nuclear fusion is the process that powers stars.

Could nuclear fusion transform the future of energy generation?

Leading nuclear physicist and vice-president of the IOP, Professor Martin Freer, explains how nuclear fusion works and could transform the future of energy generation. The processes by which stars, such as the Sun, produce energy is well-known to be based on nuclear fusion, and there has been a long-held ambition to reproduce this on Earth.

How does nuclear fusion work?

Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the Sun. It works by heating and forcing tiny particles together to make a heavier one which releases useful energy. If successfully scaled up to commercial levels it could produce endless amounts of clean energy without carbon emissions.