For decades, researchers have been trying to harness the sun's energy engine for humanity. Mastering nuclear fusion, i.e. the fusion of atomic nuclei, technologically and using it to generate energy is constantly pushing the boundaries of physics. This makes the interested public all the more attentive when there is something new to report.
For example, the research team at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California succeeded in initiating nuclear fusion in its laser fusion facility at its research power plant, the National Ignition Facility, on August 8, 2021: In 100 picoseconds, it released the tremendous amount of energy of 1.3 MJ. That would correspond to a power plant capacity of 13 million GW. Around 30 start-ups from all over the world have dedicated themselves to nuclear fusion and raised billions in venture capital.
Their scientific advisors include Nobel Prize winners in physics, while their investors include tech billionaires such as Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. They believe that they can outpace government mega-projects with different technological approaches and want to master the technology within a decade. The research facilities for the use of fusion energy worldwide, above all the international research reactor Iter (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in Caradache in the south of France, which cost many billions of euros, are projects that are set to run for decades. The construction progress at Iter since 2007 illustrates the gigantic scale of the task that the research community has set itself.
