Solar fusion power station

Will a prototype fusion power plant be built in the US?

Plans to build a prototype fusion power plant in the United States have come into tighter focus, as a new report lays out a rough timeline for building the multibillon-dollar plant and a strategy for developing its design.

Could fusion energy be a major contributor to future electric power systems?

Cambridge, MA, September 12, 2024 — The MIT Energy Initiative, in collaboration with the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, has released a new report that shows that fusion energy could be a major contributor in future electric power systems and identifies what is required to achieve that potential.

How does nuclear fusion work?

Here’s how it works. Nuclear fusion power was supposed to be a dream come true. As soon as we discovered that you could smash little atoms together to make bigger atoms and release a small amount of energy in the process, scientists around the world realized the implications of this new bit of physics knowledge.

Can fusion energy provide low-carbon energy?

While variable renewable energy sources such as wind and solar can deliver low-carbon power at scale, they require large-scale energy storage to balance supply and demand. Fusion energy has the potential to help contribute to a reliable, decarbonized energy system.

Can nuclear fusion be used as an energy source?

A team at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California announced it had extracted more energy from a controlled nuclear fusion reaction than had been used to trigger it. It was a global first and a significant step for physics—but very far from enabling practical exploitation of fusion as an energy source.

What is fusion power?

Fusion power is what I like to call a generational, or  century-level, challenge. Humanity has achieved these kinds of projects before: massive irrigation projects at the dawn of human history, the building of massive temples and cities, and the development of steam power, railroads, cathedrals and more.