Mercedes Mullins
Nuclear fusion is a process that does not rely on fossil fuels and does not produce harmful greenhouse gases. It is the opposite of nuclear fission, which produces radioactive waste and is currently used in nuclear power stations. Nuclear fusion could provide huge quantities of clean energy and help tackle climate change. Scientists have been trying to recreate the process on Earth since the 1960s. While nuclear fusion has the potential to replace fossil fuels, it will be many years before it can be meaningfully scaled up.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Does it rely on fossil fuels? | No |
| Does it produce harmful greenhouse gases? | No |
| Is it dependent on weather conditions? | No |
| What materials does it use? | Lithium and hydrogen |
| What is the waste like? | Less radioactive and decays more quickly |
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What You'll Learn
- Nuclear fusion does not rely on fossil fuels and does not produce harmful greenhouse gases
- Nuclear fusion uses two relatively abundant materials found on Earth: lithium and hydrogen
- Nuclear fusion produces less radioactive waste than nuclear fission
- Nuclear fusion could help countries meet their targets to produce net zero emissions by 2050
- Nuclear fusion could be used to power ships
Nuclear fusion does not rely on fossil fuels and does not produce harmful greenhouse gases
Nuclear fusion does not rely on fossil fuels like oil or gas, and produces none of the greenhouse gases which drive global warming. Unlike solar or wind energy, it is not dependent on beneficial weather conditions. It uses two relatively abundant materials found on Earth: lithium and hydrogen. Widescale use of nuclear fusion could help countries meet their targets to produce "net zero" emissions by 2050. However, it will be many years before recent experimental successes can be meaningfully scaled up.
Nuclear fission produces radioactive waste, which can be dangerous and must be stored safely—potentially for hundreds of years. The waste produced by nuclear fusion is less radioactive and decays much more quickly. Nuclear fusion doesn't need fossil fuels like oil or gas. Nuclear-powered ships are already a thing (fission-powered). Simply replace the fission reactors with fusion reactors (assuming the reactors are physically small enough to fit). Likewise for larger diesel-fired ships: replace the engines with a fusion reactor.
Nuclear fusion is not the only way to produce carbon-free energy with low costs, solid efficiency, and for longer than five seconds. Solar, wind, hydro, and more can already outcompete fossil fuels.
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Nuclear fusion uses two relatively abundant materials found on Earth: lithium and hydrogen
Nuclear fusion does not rely on fossil fuels or produce harmful greenhouse gases, so it could help tackle climate change. Nuclear fusion is the process that gives the Sun its energy. Scientists from more than 50 countries have been trying to recreate it on Earth since the 1960s. They hope it could eventually provide huge quantities of clean energy for the world.
Nuclear fusion is not dependent on beneficial weather conditions, unlike solar or wind energy. Widescale use of nuclear fusion could help countries meet their targets to produce "net zero" emissions by 2050. However, it will be many years before recent experimental successes can be meaningfully scaled up. Nuclear-powered ships are already a thing (fission-powered). Simply replace the fission reactors with fusion reactors (assuming the reactors are physically small enough to fit). Likewise, for larger diesel-fired ships, replace the engines with a fusion reactor.
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Nuclear fusion produces less radioactive waste than nuclear fission
Nuclear fusion does not rely on fossil fuels and does not produce harmful greenhouse gases, so it could help tackle climate change. It is the opposite of nuclear fission, in which heavy atoms are split apart, producing radioactive waste that can be dangerous and must be stored safely for hundreds of years. Nuclear fusion produces less radioactive waste than nuclear fission, as it mostly makes helium-4 from hydrogen isotopes, which is not radioactive. The waste produced by nuclear fusion also decays much more quickly.
Nuclear fusion uses two relatively abundant materials found on Earth: lithium and hydrogen. It is much harder to handle than nuclear fission, as it requires heating tritium and deuterium to upwards of 150 million degrees Celsius. This is necessary to convert gas to plasma, which is required for fusion reactors as they are thermonuclear reactors.
Nuclear fusion could be used to produce electricity and transform the radioactive waste products from fission reactors into less harmful and easier-to-store materials, or even useful materials such as medical radioisotopes. This is done through a process called nuclear waste transmutation.
Nuclear fusion could help countries meet their targets to produce "net zero" emissions by 2050, but it will be many years before recent experimental successes can be meaningfully scaled up. Nuclear-powered ships are already a thing (fission-powered), and it may be possible to replace the fission reactors with fusion reactors.
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Nuclear fusion could help countries meet their targets to produce net zero emissions by 2050
Nuclear fusion could help countries meet their targets to produce net-zero emissions by 2050. Nuclear fusion does not rely on fossil fuels like oil or gas, and it does not produce any of the greenhouse gases that drive global warming. Unlike solar or wind energy, it is not dependent on beneficial weather conditions. It uses two relatively abundant materials found on Earth: lithium and hydrogen.
Nuclear fusion is the process that gives the Sun its energy. Scientists from more than 50 countries have been trying to recreate it on Earth since the 1960s. They hope it could eventually provide huge quantities of clean energy for the world. In nuclear fusion, pairs of tiny particles called atoms are heated and forced together to make one heavier one. It is the opposite of nuclear fission, in which heavy atoms are split apart. Nuclear power stations currently use nuclear fission to generate electricity. Nuclear fission produces radioactive waste, which can be dangerous and must be stored safely, potentially for hundreds of years. The waste produced by nuclear fusion is less radioactive and decays much more quickly.
Nuclear-powered ships are already a thing (fission-powered). Simply replace the fission reactors with fusion reactors (assuming the reactors are physically small enough to fit). Likewise for larger diesel-fired ships: replace the engines with a fusion reactor.
However, it will be many years before recent experimental successes can be meaningfully scaled up.
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Nuclear fusion could be used to power ships
Nuclear fusion uses two relatively abundant materials found on Earth: lithium and hydrogen. Widescale use of nuclear fusion could help countries meet their targets to produce "net zero" emissions by 2050. However, it will be many years before recent experimental successes can be meaningfully scaled up.
Nuclear fusion is not the only way to produce carbon-free energy. Solar, wind, nuclear, hydro, and more can already outcompete fossil fuels with low costs, solid efficiency, and longer durations than nuclear fusion.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, nuclear fusion does not rely on fossil fuels and does not produce harmful greenhouse gases, so it could replace fossil fuels.
Nuclear fusion is the process which gives the Sun its energy. Scientists heat and force together pairs of tiny particles called atoms to make one heavier one. This is the opposite of nuclear fission, in which heavy atoms are split apart.
Unlike solar or wind energy, nuclear fusion is not dependent on beneficial weather conditions. It also uses two relatively abundant materials found on Earth: lithium and hydrogen.
Nuclear fission produces radioactive waste, which can be dangerous and must be stored safely for hundreds of years. Nuclear fusion produces less radioactive waste, which decays more quickly.
