Science Committee Passes Legislation Making Significant Investments in Fusion Energy
A key committee in Congress has passed legislation investing in fusion research, and creating a new public-private partnership program
A key committee in Congress has passed legislation investing in fusion research, and creating a new public-private partnership program
On May 28, 2021, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Ranking Member Frank Lucas, along with the Science Subcommittee on Energy Chairman and Ranking Members, Jamaal Bowman and Randy Weber introduced the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act. This bill provides authorization of new funding and policy in…
Magnetic confinement: Plasma is heated to 100 million °C or more, then squeezed and held in place by strong magnetic fields, allowing many fusion reactions to occur. (Example: tokamaks, stellarators)
Inertial confinement: Tiny fuel pellets are struck by powerful lasers. The outer layer explodes outward, compressing the core to fusion conditions for a few nanoseconds, producing a brief but intense pulse of energy from each pellet. (Example: National Ignition Facility)
Hybrid systems: Combine compression (e.g., from lasers, plasma pistons, or mechanical impact) with moderate magnetic fields to reduce energy losses and improve confinement.
Electrostatic fusion: Uses high electric potentials to accelerate ions toward a central reaction zone, causing them to collide at high energies and fuse. The ions are guided and confined by electric fields rather than magnets, creating a compact environment for fusion reactions.