The United States will work with other governments to speed up efforts to make nuclear fusion a new source of carbon-free energy, U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry said Tuesday.
The effort is one of many announcements made this week in Dubai at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP 28, to combat climate change.
Nuclear fusion melds two hydrogen atoms together to produce a helium atom and a lot of energy — which could be used to power cars, heat and cool homes and other things that currently are often powered by fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. That makes fusion a potentially major solution to climate change, which is caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Still, fusion is a long way off, while other clean technologies like wind, solar and others are currently in use and could be increased.
“We are edging ever-closer to a fusion-powered reality. And at the same time, yes, significant scientific and engineering challenges exist,” Kerry said at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum. “Careful thought and thoughtful policy is going to be critical to navigate this.”
Researchers have been trying for decades to harness the reaction that powers the sun and other stars — an elusive goal because it requires such high temperatures and pressures that it easily fizzles out.
Kerry wants to speed that up in hopes of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, a benchmark set by the international community.
He urged nations to come together to “harness the power of fundamental physics and human ingenuity in response to a crisis.” The strategy lays out five areas for international partnerships: research, the supply chain and future marketplace, regulation, workforce issues and public engagement.
San Diego-based General Atomics is a major player in the research and development of potential commercial applications for nuclear fusion.
“The world is increasingly recognizing the transformative potential of fusion energy,” Anantha Krishnan, senior vice president of the General Atomics Energy Group, said in a statement after Kerry’s announcement.
Inside the tokamak at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility at General Atomics.
(General Atomics)
“International collaborations have played an important role in advancing fusion,” Krishnan said, “and this strategy will ensure we continue to marshal the very best talent and capabilities across the globe as we address the remaining science and engineering challenges for commercializing fusion.”
General Atomics is deeply involved in projects that use powerful electromagnets to confine fuel in the form of a plasma inside a doughnut-shaped metal vacuum chamber called a tokamak at incredibly high temperatures.
Working in conjunction with the federal government, the company operates the DIII-D National Fusion Facility on its Torrey Pines campus. DIII-D (pronounced “dee-three-dee”) is home to the largest tokamak in the United States.
In a separate project involving magnets, General Atomics is fabricating and shipping key pieces that will be inserted into the ITER facility, an ambitious international fusion facility under construction in France.
General Atomics has also worked with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Northern California on fusion projects using laser technology.
The lab made headlines this summer when its National Ignition Facility repeated an experiment by creating fusion reaction that resulted in a greater amount of energy coming out than the amount of energy put in. Some 192 high-powered lasers zeroed in on a diamond-coated target about the size of a peppercorn. General Atomics assisted in the experiment by making the target capsule and its assemblies.
Of Kerry’s announcement, Krishnan added, “we look forward to continuing to support this effort as we work together to make fusion energy a reality.”
The United States and United Kingdom in November announced a partnership to accelerate global fusion energy development. Last year, the U.S. announced its own vision for research needed over the decade.
In southern France, 35 nations are collaborating on the ITER project, aimed at proving the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale, carbon-free source of energy. The project has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.
Last Friday, Japan and Europe said they were launching the world’s largest fusion reactor.
The Associated Press and Union-Tribune reporter Rob Nikolewski contributed to this story.
