Optimism in US Senate on Future Benefits of Fusion Energy

Fusion energy experts spanning the government, academia, and the private sector testified on the prospects of fusion research before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Sept. 15.

“We believe we have a real shot at commercial fusion power plants on the grid starting in the early 2030s,” said Bob Mumgaard, CEO of the private fusion firm Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

A 2022 Fusion Industry Association survey found that the sector has attracted more than $4.7 billion in private investment, marking a rise of more than $2.8 billion in just one year.

Today’s nuclear plants are based on nuclear fission—in other words, harnessing the energy created from splitting heavy atoms, such as uranium.

Fusion Versus Fission

Fusion energy, by contrast, is produced when the nuclei of two light atoms come together to form a larger atom.

The fusion reaction that scientists consider most promising involves two isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium. Together, they can be fused into helium.

For that to happen, however, the two gasses must be heated to more than 180 million degrees Fahrenheit.

As temperatures rise, the gasses turn into plasma: a loose jumble of positively charged nuclei and negatively charged electrons. This form of matter may sound exotic, but it makes up more than 99 percent of the visible universe.

Fusion researchers can keep that plasma in place with magnetic fields.

ITER, a massive international collaboration that includes the United States, is carrying out the largest such magnetic confinement experiment.

Fusion is mighty enough to power the stars above. It’s how our own sun pumps out heat and light.

Nuclear fusion yields more energy than nuclear fission without producing any long-lasting radioactive waste. Like fission, it doesn’t produce any greenhouse gasses.

Shortages of tritium have raised concerns about the viability of deuterium-tritium fusion.

“In order to

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