A recent laser-powered fusion experiment has crossed an important threshold. With the latest test, it has more than doubled its power output, based on a basic 2022 historic test that was run. This latest milestone is another important step forward in the journey to develop practical nuclear fusion energy. Through this process, we have the opportunity to provide an abundant, clean, and safe energy supply.
In the first-of-its-kind experiment last year, researchers produced 3.15 megajoules of net energy — a historic achievement that set a new standard. The cool new twist was that they had to deliver a very specific 2.05 megajoules of energy to the equivalent of a BB-sized fuel pellet. That’s an amazing accomplishment. It represents the first time a controlled fusion reaction has produced more energy than it has consumed. The first net-positive shot consumed a staggering 300 megajoules just to energize the laser system.
Tim De Chant is a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch. He’s on the faculty of MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing and been tracking all these developments up close. He deepened this knowledge as a 2018 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. There, he researched climate technologies and alternative business models for journalism. De Chant received a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in environmental science, policy and management. They have a BA in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.
Startups Xcimer Energy and Focused Energy are developing new approaches to fusion. Both of them are dedicated to winning the long term race to inertial confinement fusion. Xcimer Energy is capturing the power of fusion with state of the art lasers and rivers of molten salt. To power its ambitious fusion projects, Focused Energy has placed bets on two of the world’s most powerful lasers.
During the fusion experiment, the little fuel pellet is injected into a spherical vacuum chamber about 10 meters across. There, 192 extremely powerful laser beams intersect at the target, forming the extreme conditions needed for nuclear fusion to take place. This elaborate system is a perfect illustration of the obstacles that must be overcome for practical controlled nuclear fusion.
The new results from this latest experiment highlight the incredible progress we’re making in fusion energy. They show what a revolutionary solution it is to our global energy challenges. Researchers are still working hard to improve these processes even more to increase energy generation.