Fusion Reaction Celebrated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - NBC Bay Area
Livermore Lab Fusion Reaction - NBC Bay Area
Thousands of employees at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Monday celebrated an accomplishment that's being called a game changer in energy and climate change – trying to replicate how the sun produces energy.
The fusion reaction took place in an area the size of a peppercorn and was performed in a billionth of a second, but it's a discovery that can change the future.
"If you can replicate the process that’s on the sun here to provide abundant renewable energy, that’s really what fusion is," U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said.
The lab used 192 lasers to create the first fusion reaction that extracted more energy than was put in. Scientists say once it's fully developed, it could power entire cities without radioactive waste or fossil fuel emissions.
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"It means that holy grail of 100% clean energy that doesn’t provide any waste is possible," Granholm said.
The idea was developed in the 1960s by John Nuckolls. He spent his entire career at the Livermore lab and was honored during Monday's celebration.
"It’s incredible to see that we all pulled together and did it and worked together on one of the most difficult problems that has ever been attempted," he said.
The lab has run five experiments or shots since the achievement. Scientists haven't been able to replicate the reaction, though the director said they're continuing to perfect the process. Physicists will try again in a week.
While it may be decades before fusion is powering homes and cities, the discovery was a major step forward in the process.
"Today’s not the end of the ignition journey," Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Director Dr. Kimberly Budil said. "It marks the beginning of what will be an incredible era of discovery and innovation.”
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.