Under the “Plan” menu tab I present fusion as a “new” technology that would be the ultimate energy source with virtually an endless supply of fuel and one that could serve the energy needs of the entire globe for centuries. Traditional fusion technologies involve the fusing of hydrogen isotopes (deuterium-deuterium or deuterium-tritium) to form helium while also releasing huge amounts of energy. Pretty simple, right? Not really! A couple of Achilles Heels for fusion have been, and still are, creating and maintaining very high temperatures (millions of degrees) to produce the fusion reaction and processes and equipment to contain these high temperatures. Research is being done on a number of approaches to accomplish this end, but obviously the challenges are truly Herculean.
Well, as we speak, along comes a new and innovative concept (SingularityHub, “We Won’t Have Fusion Generators in Five Years. But the Holy Grail of Clean Energy May Still Be on Its Way”, Matthew Hole, March 5, 2020). A group of Australian scientists, headed by Heinrich Hora, at the University of New South Wales have advanced a concept whereby powerful lasers are employed to fuse hydrogen and boron. When a hydrogen nucleus fuses with a boron-11 nucleus the result is three energetic helium nuclei whose energy can then be ultimately used to produce electricity. The beauty of this reaction is that no neutrons are produced, thus significantly reducing radiation containment issues and generation of radioactive waste. The hard part is triggering the reaction in the first place which is where recent advancement in laser technology can pay huge dividends. Yes, of course, there are huge challenges to bring such a technology to fruition, but many things are possible when driven by a national commitment fueled with sufficient research dollars and brilliant minds. A match made in NewEnergy2040.