ABOUT FUSION
NATURE'S PERFECT ENERGY SOURCE
Fusion is the power of the sun: at extreme temperatures and pressures, atoms collide and “fuse” releasing huge amounts of energy in the process. That means that even small amounts of fuel have a huge amount of intrinsic energy.
Fusion releases that intrinsic energy. Fusion energy is obtained by forcing together atomic nuclei, breaking the nuclear force repelling atoms from each other, releasing a tremendous amount of power.
A single gram of fuel can yield 90,000-kilowatt hours of energy. Put another way, it would take 10 million pounds of coal to yield as much energy as one pound of fusion fuel. Once the science and engineering is proven, commercial power plants will be able to provide clean, safe, and abundant energy anywhere in the world.
Why Fusion?
By 2050, the global population will grow by 33 percent, and economic growth means that we could boost energy demand to five times more than today. Unfortunately, today's energy system is environmentally unsustainable, economically unstable, and promotes global insecurity. We must meeting the world's growing demand for energy while transitioning to clean, affordable, abundant energy sources. That will require a breakthrough in clean energy.
But that breakthrough is not a far-off dream. Fusion is not science fiction. Fusion energy is now routinely achieved at laboratory scale around the world. However, up to now, every fusion experiment has required more energy to control the fusion reaction than the fusion reaction has released. Scientists, investors, and business leaders are now convinced that a break-even fusion reaction is within reach. The member companies of the Fusion Industry Association are now racing towards scientific proof of a break-even fusion reaction; a “burning plasma.”
Commercial fusion will transform the world's energy system. It will provide vast benefits to the countries that lead on fusion. There are four main areas of benefits:
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Fusion produces no harmful emissions or waste fuel. A fusion power plant is physically incapable of having a meltdown. There is no fissile radioactive waste leftover.
Fusion power plants will replace the smog-producing fossil fuels clogging the air of cities around the world.
ENERGY ABUNDANCE AND SECURITY
Fusion fuel is present in all fresh and seawater around the world. At a power density that's 10 million times greater than fossil fuels, only half a bathtub of seawater will produce as much energy as 40 train cars of coal. This means virtually limitless power to last billions of years.
There will no longer be geopolitical fights over control of energy resources, and there is no risk of fissile nuclear material falling into the hands of those seeking to proliferate atomic weapons.
ENSURING GLOBAL ACCESS TO ENERGY
1.8 billion people live without electricity. Access to the energy grid empowers people to elevate their families and communities out of poverty while also increasing health and security.
Countries that adopt fusion power will enable the creation of a new industry, with the jobs, revenues, and scientific leadership that goes along with that.
FUSION BENEFITS BEYOND ENERGY
Beyond the grid, fusion is well suited for remote and energy-intensive operations such as desalinization, industrial heat, and mining.
Even today, spin-offs from fusion research are keeping people healthy and safe. Technologies for advanced cancer treatment, medical isotopes, and next-generation national security scanners have already been deployed.
Fusion can also serve a vital role in space power and propulsion, dramatically expanding opportunities and reducing costs in space.
