The problem with merging is that it doesn’t quite exist yet. For decades, scientists have dreamed of solving the mystery of fusion, but it’s still just a dream, albeit increasingly fragile.
But there are still many challenges to be solved. One of the problems is that they have not yet been able to get more energy from a fusion reactor than they have put in. But you are constantly making progress, says Lorenzo Frassinetti.
– Only in recent years has great progress been made in building ITER.
Test reactor for 220 billion Swedish kronor
The gigantic ITER experimental reactor will soon be completed in France. There, researchers from 35 different countries will try to create a functioning fusion power plant, financed by the taxes of the participating countries, which will then lead to the construction of fission plants that will start producing electricity.
When completed in 2025, the goal is to generate 500 megawatts by heating the plasma to 150 million degrees for a few minutes. At those temperatures, the hydrogen atoms will melt and collide with each other, creating huge amounts of energy.
The energy of the future
Fusion is sometimes cited as the savior of the world’s growing energy needs. This is only partially true, Lorenzo Frassinetti points out, because future energy consumption should be enormous.
– The demand for energy is expected to increase exponentially. Humanity will therefore have to use all available sustainable energy sources, from wind turbines to nuclear energy to fusion.
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