Scientists in South Korea report that they've made a major milestone in fusion energy. The feat not only represents a significant advancement in fusion technology, but it also brings us closer to a sustainable future powered by clean, virtually unlimited energy.
Fusion technology, which mimics the process that powers stars, holds the key to nearly unlimited, zero-carbon electricity, making it a vital part of our transition to clean energy.
As reported by Interesting Engineering, the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research fusion reactor (nicknamed "KSTAR") recently reached temperatures of 180 million degrees Fahrenheit for 48 seconds, which is close to seven times hotter than the sun's core at 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.
Keeping the fusion reactions really hot and dense for a long time is one of the hardest parts of making fusion work. The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy has been working tirelessly to overcome this challenge.
The beauty of a clean energy source like fusion is that it operates without releasing the harmful carbon pollution that comes from burning dirty energy sources like coal and natural gas. This means that by choosing clean energy, we're not only protecting our atmosphere, but we're also safeguarding our health from the detrimental effects of air pollution.
The International Energy Agency has predicted that by early 2025, renewable energy will surpass coal as the world's most popular energy source, launching us into an extraordinary new phase of energy consumption. IEA considers today's nuclear power as low-pollution energy generation that complements renewables like wind and solar. With fusion technology, nuclear power generation could become even more significant in the long-term clean energy transition.
The shift is not just about environmental benefits; it's also about economic ones.
The green sector could be worth over $10 trillion by mid-century. Experts predict that large-scale use of nuclear fusion is still several decades off, as Scientific American has noted. Yet advances such as the one in Korea are important steps toward that eventual goal.
According to Korea's National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST), the secret to the KSTAR success is using things called tungsten divertors.
These are important parts at the bottom of the fusion reactor that help get rid of waste gases and dirt while handling a lot of heat, according to Interesting Engineering. Tungsten can handle a lot of heat because it doesn't melt easily, so now the reactor can keep the plasma stable for much longer, which is crucial for making fusion work.
"In comparison with the previous divertors based on carbon, the new tungsten divertors showed only 25% increase in surface temperature under similar heat loads. This provides significant advantages for long-pulse high-heating power operations," the NST explained.
This breakthrough not only brings us closer to unlocking the potential of fusion energy, but it also contributes significantly to our efforts to combat Earth's overheating. Technological advancements like KSTAR's add to our growing list of potential clean energy sources that can eventually be implemented in our daily lives.
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