The US Department of Energy announced a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. It is an unprecedented triumph in the field of nuclear energy. This breakthrough has the potential to end all energy wars and global environmental problems. The US, China and France are working on nuclear fusion. If it becomes practical in the coming years then global energy demands would be fulfilled without environmental costs. It will impact global energy politics.
Around 10 percent of global energy needs are fulfilled by nuclear energy. The nuclear fission reaction is used in nuclear power plants that provide energy. In nuclear fission, a large nucleus of uranium splits and releases energy along with radioactive waste that remains for hundreds of years. In contrast, the nuclear fusion reaction involves the combination of two hydrogen nuclei to form helium. This reaction does not emit any radioactive waste. It follows the same reaction that occurs in the Sun and stars. The energy that is released at the end of the reaction is more than the energy used for initiating the reaction. The breakthrough that occurred in “Lawrence Livermore Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility” used 2.05 MJ of energy and released around 3.15 MJ of energy.
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Understanding the matter better
The nuclear fusion breakthrough has a long history of failures before it became a triumph. The idea of hydrogen-helium fusion was given in 1920 by Arthur Eddington, who suggested that such fusion can produce the energy of stars. But initial work on nuclear fusion was started in 1952 for military purposes under the Manhattan Project. The hydrogen bombs were made but for energy purposes, this reaction needed to be sustained for a long period which could not happen. In 2009, the project on nuclear fusion came near to cancellation. After more than a decade, a breakthrough in nuclear fusion has given another boost to research in this field.
Although this breakthrough has occurred in the US, it is Washington alone that is working on developing nuclear fusion technology. China and France are also working in nuclear fusion technology. The artificial sun in China uses the same reaction. It used the same reactions that occur in the Sun. The Chinese project was sustained for around 17 minutes at a temperature of 216 million Fahrenheit. Similarly, France is planning to construct the first nuclear fusion reactor by 2025. It means that great powers are already working in the domain of nuclear fusion to get rid of energy constraints.
Nuclear fusion is more environmentally friendlier than other sources of energy including, nuclear fission and fossil fuels, etc. In nuclear fusion, there is no emission of harmful gases like carbon dioxide or Greenhouse Gases. The radioactive nuclear waste created by nuclear fission is long-lived and has harmful impacts as well. On the other hand, the waste material created after the nuclear fusion reaction is not long-lived. In addition to this, there are no threats of nuclear explosion or accident as in the case of nuclear fission. The plasma in nuclear fusion is kept at high temperatures and when temperatures drop, the system immediately stops which means that the nuclear fusion reactions are safer.
The way forward
The world is facing the brunt of climate change due to the extensive fossil fuels for industrialization. The temperature of the world is expected to rise by 2 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial level which will lead to extensive heat waves, floods, forest fires and a rise in sea level. The underdeveloped states especially in Asia and Africa are facing the consequences of anthropogenic climate changes exacerbated by the actions of developed western states. European states have also faced the impacts of climate change and they are focusing on net zero emissions. Similar is the intent of the US. Nuclear fusion is an opportunity for these states to capitalize on for a safer future.
Nuclear fusion reactions need an optimum temperature and a huge sum of investments. Many international businessmen including Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Elon Musk have invested in the commercialization of nuclear fusion. The main issue with the utilization of nuclear fusion for commercial reasons is the infrastructure. There is no equipment that can store the energy released after nuclear fusion. If the equipment is produced then this idea of nuclear fusion can be utilized in the near future. Scientists in the US, France and China are working on the equipment. It is possible that in the next 10-20 years, they might develop infrastructure that can store nuclear fusion energy.
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If nuclear fusion becomes commercialized then it will mark the end of the monopoly of oil and gas in world politics. The Petro-economies will no longer dominate the world’s economy. The monopoly of Middle Eastern states will end in world politics. The conflicts going on in the Middle East and Europe where energy resources are a major political tool will be transformed. The Petro-states will not be able to use the energy resources to influence the politics of other states. This might seem too prophetic but this breakthrough in nuclear fusion indicates that the world is moving in that direction.
The writer is working as a Junior Research Assistant in the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.