Dream Energy 'Nuclear Fusion Artificial Sun' Shines Brighter After 24 Years

Progress in Eco-friendly Energy Development
Achieving Double the Previous Record

"Conquering Major Scientific and Engineering Challenges"
Positive Signals for ITER from Korea and 6 Other Countries

Prince William of the United Kingdom visited the UK Atomic Energy Authority located in Abingdon, England, in October 2018, where he spoke with Secretary-General Ian Chapman (first from the left) and others.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyun-ui Cho] Remarkable progress has been made in the development of nuclear fusion energy, which has the potential to become an inexhaustible source of eco-friendly energy.

On the 9th (local time), according to international media including the scientific journal Nature and CNN, the European Union (EU) nuclear fusion project 'Eurofusion' research team generated 59MJ (megajoules) of energy over 5 seconds using the Joint European Torus (JET), a nuclear fusion research device operated by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

This achievement is more than double the previous record of 21.7MJ set in 1997, marking a remarkable feat after 24 years. Ian Chapman, Secretary General of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, said, "We have made significant progress in conquering one of the greatest scientific and engineering challenges."

It is called an artificial sun because it uses the same principle as stars like the sun that emit light and energy. Nuclear fusion energy is released when the nuclei of deuterium and tritium fuse in a plasma state. UK Sky News explained, "Nuclear fusion is the same process that powers the sun, considered a nearly unlimited potential energy source for the future."

Unlike conventional nuclear power, which uses energy released from nuclear fission, nuclear fusion energy does not produce high-level radioactive waste. Although some low-level radioactive waste is generated, its half-life is short, so it can be stored for only a few decades before returning to a natural state. This is why nuclear fusion energy is called 'clean power' and is gaining attention as a form of low-carbon energy.

This experiment is an important advancement as it demonstrated that producing nuclear fusion energy is theoretically possible. Sky News evaluated, "Although more energy was consumed than produced by the nuclear fusion reaction, it is a major development in terms of sustained nuclear fusion."

However, it also indicated that there is still a long way to go before commercialization. A UK economic media outlet explained, "59MJ is the amount of energy needed to boil water in 60 kettles."

Scientists have been researching nuclear fusion for decades to secure energy with fewer pollutants such as radioactive materials or greenhouse gases. Nuclear fusion is gaining attention as one of the countermeasures to prevent the worsening of climate change caused by global warming.

Tony Donn?, Eurofusion research director, said, "This is an important moment in Europe's 'artificial sun' research that has continued for over 20 years," adding, "Producing electricity with energy stably obtained for 5 seconds through nuclear fusion technology means it is only a matter of time to extend the duration and capacity to 5 minutes or 5 hours."

Chapman emphasized, "We are building the knowledge and developing new technologies necessary to create sustainable low-carbon energy sources that protect the Earth for future generations."

The success of this experiment also positively impacts the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, a collaborative nuclear fusion device development project involving seven countries including South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, India, Russia, and the EU. ITER is an experiment to mass-produce energy using the same technology in Cadarache, southern France.

Sibylle G?nter, director of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, said, "This project will provide useful information when the larger-scale ITER begins its experiments."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.