Energy storage fusion machine

Are fusion machines viable?

Historically, fusion machines have not been technically viable, because the energy input required to power the reaction has been larger than the energy produced by the machine. But in the last five years, fusion energy has reached a turning point in its development.

How do fusion machines work?

Fusion machines harness the energy released in a controlled thermonuclear fusion reaction in which two nuclei combine to form a new nucleus. This process occurs in our Sun and other stars.

What is fusion energy?

Fusion is potentially one of these technologies. Fusion energy, also known as controlled nuclear fusion, has been pursued since the 1950s, first as a classified program and then, since a landmark conference in 1958, as an open, collaborative international effort.

How much energy can a fusion device produce?

The more powerful those magnets are, the more atomic collisions, reactions, and energy you can produce within a far smaller space. A fusion device built with an array of Commonwealth’s magnets should be able to produce as much energy as one relying on ITER’s at one-fortieth the size.

How can a fusion machine survive the heat?

These include powerful high-temperature superconducting magnets (achieved by Commonwealth Fusion Systems in 2021), plasma injectors (such as the P13 injector demonstrated by General Fusion in 2017), radio frequency heating systems, and new wall materials that can survive the intense heat of a fusion machine’s interior.

What is the future of fusion?

Experts in energy systems modeling and fusion technology explore the future role of fusion at various costs and carbon constraints. For many decades, fusion has been touted as the ultimate source of abundant, clean electricity.