Fusion ignition hits another milestone: More power
TechCrunchAug 22, 2023
The Facts
Scientists at the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California on Sunday announced they achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction for a second time, but with a higher energy yield this time.
Inputting about two megajoules (MJ) of power from lasers, scientists were able to generate 3.5 MJ of energy, up from 3.15 MJ during a December 2022 experiment. This means more energy was produced from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it.
The Spin
Narrative A
Although scientists can only ignite this fusion process very briefly, once a day, this news means we have the science to achieve a long-awaited phenomenon. Whether from lasers or magnetic fields, the engineering building blocks have been created to push us into an emissions-free future to truly combat the climate crisis.
Narrative B
These breakthroughs are exciting and should be expanded upon, but we may run out of the tritium needed to power these experiments. Scientists haven't generated more energy than they input, and could be empty-handed by the midcentury deadline they've set for establishing nuclear fusion as a renewable energy source.
