The government of US President Joe Biden has just announced a series of new measures to help the development of nuclear fusion, reports theEE Times. Faced with the dangers of global warming, the federal government recognizes, however, that this aid remains modest.
Extra help, but still unclear goals
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm effectively said: It is not enough, but we are putting money where the needs are. In this statement, the official refers to a pledge of 50 million dollars intended to finance the construction of a new facility dedicated to nuclear fusion. However, the announcement remains vague on the exact nature of this installation, its exact location and its objectives.
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In addition, President Biden has just signed into law an omnibus bill (that is to say dealing simultaneously with different subjects, often unrelated) including 713 million dollars devoted to the development of fusion technologies. However, as pointed out by theEE Times, even this bill barely mentions concrete objectives. Jennifer Granholm nevertheless puts forward a name, that of the physicist and program director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), Scot Hsu, who will be in charge of coordinating the agency’s efforts on the question of fusion.
The only stated objective is to act in favor of clean energy. While the dangers of global warming are constantly pointed out, nuclear fusion could eventually replace fossil fuels. In the United States, the share of oil, coal and gas in the energy mix is around 75%. Jennifer Granholm said: Our house is on fire. We must act, and we must act now. »
The promise of cleaner, controllable energy
These announcements were made during the Fusion Energy Summit, an event hosted by the White House. It brought together researchers from MIT and other specialized laboratories, but also the CEOs of large companies, such as those of Helion or Commonwealth Fusion, as well as investors. Guests who represent a growing craze for fusion, although achieving a commercially viable project remains a challenge.
If the technological obstacles were overcome, nuclear fusion would become, in theory at least, an almost perfect energy. By using a deuterium available in large quantities as fuel, this process would provide abundant, cheap, non-polluting and controllable energy (as opposed to solar or wind power, which only work in the presence of sun or wind) . It could also provide a solution to our current nuclear fission, whose radioactive waste and the risk of accident are debated.
In the meantime, you have to be patient. Even if the records have succeeded in recent years, it will take decades for large-scale production to begin. In Europe, the ITER project foresees its first plasma for 2025, and its first “real” production by 2035.