Nuclear fusion, the United States announces “a turning point that changes the future”

The United States declared a successful nuclear fusion experiment, which for the first time resulted in a “net energy gain”. The finding was highlighted on December 5 by scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The experiment was conducted in a stadium-sized facility equipped with 192 lasers. More energy was produced in the process than was used to activate it, a breakthrough that could upend global prospects in the energy sector by opening the door to mass generation of electricity in a sustainable and safe way.

Kim Podell, director of the lab, stressed that there are still “significant hurdles” to overcome before a hypothesis can be put forward for commercial application. “There are still a lot of things to do” before “a commercial merger can take place,” he said. And it will take “probably decades: not 6 decades, not 5 decades, as we used to say,” the scientist explained.

In a tweet, the DOE explained how today’s announcement “required decades” of work. “On December 5th, 2022 – the tweet continues – a team from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made history by achieving a fusion fusion. This breakthrough will forever change the future of clean energy and America’s national defense.”

For her part, US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm spoke of “a revolutionary breakthrough that improves the world and saves lives that is happening before our eyes,” an “incredible task,” and expressed “sincere congratulations and gratitude to the researchers.” California Laboratory staff.