Nuclear power plants generate electricity through a process called nuclear fission image source
Nuclear fusion as an energy source could be a solution to many problems, whether environmental or political. It could also alleviate poverty by making energy abundant, which could help develop functioning infrastructure in poorer or less developed countries.
Difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission
Although minimal, it is true that we already have some sort of nuclear energy source on Earth. However, it’s not nuclear fusion, it’s called nuclear fission.
During nuclear fission, a heavy element is split into smaller particles, while fusion joins two light elements, forming a heavier particle.
Both processes release energy because the mass of the remaining nucleus is smaller than the mass of the reacting nuclei.
Why fusion if we already have fission?
Nuclear fusion is far more efficient than fission. Assuming one day fusion becomes prevalent, it could power the world for an indefinite amount of time, paving the way for developing countries to become developed. Fusion could generate four times more energy per kilogram of fuel than fission, and nearly four million times more energy than burning oil or coal.
Fusion is also the process that literally powers our Sun and other stars in the universe. Hydrogen atoms merge together under the immense gravity of a star to produce helium.
Fusion also has an advantage of not producing nuclear waste, since it produces helium. Fusion however does produce tritium, which is radioactive, but tritium has a small half life, meaning it will decay long before it poses a risk. Tritium is also produced in very small amount too.
Another benefit is that there will be zero risk of a nuclear accident under fusion since it’s not based on a chain reaction unlike how fission is. Nuclear fusion would have better safety mechanisms that automatically shut off in the case of malfunction.
So when will fusion finally become prevalent?
There is a big debate about when fusion will be available. People have been making blind predictions for decades, claiming “in the next _____ years it will arrive”, only for nothing to change when the time comes.
The International Atomic Energy Agency claims that a prototype of a fusion reactor will be built in 2040, and fusion will grow as a source of energy in the second half of the 21st century.
Issues regarding nuclear fusion
The main issue is a lack of technological advancement. The Sun is very massive. Its immense gravity is enough to naturally fuse hydrogen atoms together. On Earth, we’d need to maintain a temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, and we’d need immense pressure to fuse deuterium and tritium. (Both deuterium and tritium are istotopes of hydrogen, and are used as fuels in nuclear fusion)
Plasma would need to be confined to prevent it from touching reactor walls and cooling down. Many techniques are being explored, but they fail to maintain stability over long periods.
We have already achieved fusion at a small scale in some experiments. However, a large amount of energy is being consumed just to make this possible. This means that there is a net loss of available energy just to maintain the process.
Another big issue is cost. Building and maintaining fusion reactors would cost billions of dollars. It is not economically viable to achieve this in modern times.
There are several other problems, but these mentioned are the main issues. The only hope is the progression of technology. As AI gets smarter and mass automation improves, it could become feasible one day.
Sources
https://www.iaea.org/topics/energy/fusion/faqs
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-is-nuclear-fusion
https://www.iaea.org/bulletin/what-is-fusion-and-why-is-it-so-difficult-to-achieve