The path to achieving zero emissions crosses through many territories. It’s not just about renewable energies; nuclear power is also part of it. Despite being long criticized, it’s a very useful energy source that doesn’t have the issue of emitting carbon into the atmosphere.
Fusion differs from fission, used in nuclear power plants, as it’s based on the same principle that powers the Sun and stars. In fusion, hydrogen nuclei merge into helium, releasing light and heat.
Moreover, unlike nuclear energy, fusion is inherently safe since the reaction stops when the fuel supply or energy source is interrupted. It also doesn’t generate high-level, long-life radioactive waste.
Reasons why they believe in nuclear fusion
The planet’s journey towards using clean energies has taken another leap forward in Naka, Japan, where the world’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental reactor has been inaugurated.
Located at the National Institute for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, the system, known as JT-60SA, is a six-story donut-shaped machine called a tokamak that contains magnetic field coils confining the plasma particles to reach the necessary conditions for fusion.
This marks a significant advancement for fusion science, a technology scientists and engineers have been experimenting with since the 1950s, currently holding great promise as a carbon-free energy source.
Currently, there are more than 50 tokamaks worldwide, according to figures from the IAEA, and the US Department of Energy cites fusion energy specialists who believe they are the primary plasma confinement concept for future fusion power plants.
The JT-60SA is a joint project of the European Union and Japan, part of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), an ambitious energy project involving collaboration from 35 countries to build the world’s largest tokamak.
The JT-60SA is designed as a testbed for the ITER project and will use hydrogen and its deuterium isotope to conduct experiments on plasma stability and its effect on energy production. According to Sam Davis, deputy head of the JT-60SA project, “it will bring us closer to fusion energy.”
