Major Breakthrough of Fusion Ignition Achieved by DOE

On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) announced the major science breakthrough of having for “the first time produced more energy from fusion that was used to drive it.” The achievement of a successful fusion ignition represents “further discovery in clean power and nuclear weapons stewardship” according to the DOE’s news release. Simply explained, “fusion is the process by which two light nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy;’ and offers a potential long-term energy source that uses abundant fuel supplies and does not produce greenhouse gases or long-lived radioactive waste.” A separate article further explaining fusion energy science notes that a truck filled with fusion fuel has the equivalent energy of 2 million metric tons of coal or 10 million barrels of oil. The advance in science accomplished today by the DOE will “provide valuable insights into prospects of clean fusion energy which could be a game-changer for efforts to achieve President Biden’s goal of a net-zero carbon economy.”

Source:    https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-national-laboratory-makes-history-achieving-fusion-ignition