Why are big tech investors betting on the “holy grail” of energy?

The promise of nuclear fusion energy has lagged far behind reality.

It is widely considered the “holy grail” of energy technology because of its potential. Generate almost unlimited amounts of clean energyThe failure to add fusion energy to the grid despite decades of research has led to a repeated joke: fusion energy is always 30 years away.

But that timeframe may eventually shorten due to recent technological advances and increased capital from private investors including Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman. According to data from the Fusion Industry Association (FIA), the industry has attracted more than $6 billion in funding to date, with companies like Google and Chevron part of the growing list of sponsors.

A brand new energy source

Fusion energy has been widely considered a game changer because of how the energy is generated. Unlike nuclear fission, which occurs when a neutron hits a larger atom and splits it into two, fusion occurs by taking two atoms and smashing them together to form a heavier atom.

The fusion process is the same process that powers the Sun and other stars. What’s even more fascinating to researchers is fusion Does not produce nuclear waste that can be used for war purposes,

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Despite enthusiasm about its potential, technological progress has been largely confined to government research laboratories.

In 2022, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved ignition, an important milestone that demonstrated it was possible to generate more energy than the amount of energy needed to create a fusion reaction. But that energy surge lasted less than a billionth of a second. Now, researchers are looking to expand that plasma reaction so it can be adapted for commercial use.

Challenges remain in the race to commercialize mergers

Currently, more than 40 startups are moving forward with the goal of becoming the first to commercialize fusion. Washington-based Helion Energy has set one of the most aggressive goals by signing a commercial agreement with Microsoft to provide fusion-generated electricity within four years. Meanwhile, MIT-backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which has received funding from Gates, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, aims to have a commercial plant up and running by 2030.

Bloomberg Intelligence has estimated that if just 1% of global one-gigawatt energy production is achieved, the valuation of fusion energy would potentially increase to $40 trillion.

“What we do know is that we have a very specific set of goal-oriented experiments and research efforts going on around the world that are trying to solve the remaining challenges,” said David Pace, deputy director of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. trying.” , which houses the nation’s largest magnetic fusion facility and is funded by the Department of Energy. “The challenges are largely focused on the issues that prevent us from building facilities that produce net energy and then building facilities that convert that net energy into electricity.”

Governments are also increasing funding to help accelerate commercialization. The US government allocated a record $1.48 billion for fusion research in its 2024 budget alone. And in France, home to the world’s largest fusion reactor, known as ITER, 35 countries have come together to build a facility estimated to cost about US$20 billion.

But the way forward is unclear, including the process by which fusion energy is likely to be commercialized. For example, facilities like ITER and DIII-D are using donut-shaped machines known as tokamaks, which rely on powerful magnets to confine and insulate the plasma so that the fusion reaction can occur. The temperature should be sufficient for. The breakthrough at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was achieved through a process using lasers.

Marketing is also key to maintaining net energy profits, experts say Build smaller, less expensive reactors faster, In the FIA’s most recent report, 25 companies expressed optimism that the first fusion plants will deliver electricity to the grid before 2035.

There is renewed emphasis on the commercialization of nuclear fusion as a reliable source of clean energy in the face of climate change, as governments seek to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

At the recent UN climate change conference, former White House climate envoy John Kerry laid out a framework for international cooperation to accelerate progress on fusion energy, while acknowledging its “scientific and engineering”.

Callaway said, “There aren’t many other options. We have to invest in something.” “We need to launch the ‘holy grail’ of energy technology, if you like, to solve this problem that is pitting oil and gas interests and countries against each other in response to climate change. So we can do more Will start seeing fusion discussions”.

finished article originally in english for yahoo finance Akiko Fujita

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