A science born from the hearts of the hottest starts, fusion sets its eyes on energy domination in the twenty-first century. Unfortunately, fusion research is severely underfunded and is met by criticism from many, arguing that it is unviable or even impossible and that the payoff isn’t worth the initial cost. Although they may argue this they ignore the fact that fusion is extremely efficient, could solve environmental woes, and that fusion produces massive amounts of energy from readily available fuel sources. First I deem it important to immediately shoot down some of the criticism that people have of fusion. The argument that it is impossible has already been debunked, as a few test reactions have been produced, with the most successful
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This is not only false but rather completely the opposite of the reality. While it is true that the reaction itself requires temperatures upwards of 100 million degrees celsius, this poses little to no danger at all. This is due to the fact that the amount of fuel that is in the reactor at any given time is very minute, with some sources citing that only a kilogram of fuel would be used to power the reactor for an entire day(“Fusion Energy)”. Subsequently, this means that there is no significant threat of volatile fuel.It is also worth noting that fusion is much safer than its fission counterpart. Due to how the fusion reactions take place, there is virtually no risk of meltdowns, and fusion doesn’t produce harmful nuclear waste that is a logistical nightmare (“Why Don't We Have Fusion …show more content…
While there still a lot more research to be done, many scientists predict that only a kilogram of fusion fuel in a fusion reactor can produce 1500 megawatts of power. To compare this to typical energy standards, a typical fossil fuel power plant that produced 500 megawatts of power can use upwards of 350000 kilograms of fuel in a day.(“Fusion Energy”) An increase of funding would be extremely important, as the funding for fusion research has dwindled down to almost 10% of what it was at its peak. With such a revolutionary and efficient power source on the horizon, it should be receiving as much funding as
This is not only false but rather completely the opposite of the reality. While it is true that the reaction itself requires temperatures upwards of 100 million degrees celsius, this poses little to no danger at all. This is due to the fact that the amount of fuel that is in the reactor at any given time is very minute, with some sources citing that only a kilogram of fuel would be used to power the reactor for an entire day(“Fusion Energy)”. Subsequently, this means that there is no significant threat of volatile fuel.It is also worth noting that fusion is much safer than its fission counterpart. Due to how the fusion reactions take place, there is virtually no risk of meltdowns, and fusion doesn’t produce harmful nuclear waste that is a logistical nightmare (“Why Don't We Have Fusion …show more content…
While there still a lot more research to be done, many scientists predict that only a kilogram of fusion fuel in a fusion reactor can produce 1500 megawatts of power. To compare this to typical energy standards, a typical fossil fuel power plant that produced 500 megawatts of power can use upwards of 350000 kilograms of fuel in a day.(“Fusion Energy”) An increase of funding would be extremely important, as the funding for fusion research has dwindled down to almost 10% of what it was at its peak. With such a revolutionary and efficient power source on the horizon, it should be receiving as much funding as