Nuclear
fusion
by
2025
?
A
major
new
source
of
clean
power
could
be
just
around
the
corner
.
In
fact
,
scientists
are
betting
that
we
might
see
the
first
production
of
nuclear
fusion
by
2025
.
Nuclear
fusion
is
the
natural
phenomenon
that
powers
the
sun
,
where
hydrogen
is
converted
into
helium
atoms
through
a
process
that
happens
at
really
high
temperatures
?
like
hundreds
of
millions
of
degrees
.
Scientists
say
that
once
we
develop
and
this
technology
,
we
will
have
more
energy
than
we
will
ever
need
.
The
project
is
called
International
Thermonuclear
Experimental
Reactor
(
ITER
)
and
includes
the
participation
of
the
Europe
Union's
member
states
,
the
United
States
,
Russia
,
China
,
India
,
and
South
Korea
.
The
experimental
site
is
in
France
and
so
far
,
it
has
cost
$20
billion
,
though
a
lot
more
will
be
needed
.
If
it
is
successful
,
the
French
plant
would
produce
ten
million
times
more
power
than
a
traditional
power
plant
?
without
CO2
emissions
and
without
radioactive
materials
.
Scientists
say
that
they
could
produce
as
much
energy
as
10
,
000
tonnes
of
coal
using
a
quantity
of
hydrogen
that
is
the
size
of
a
pineapple
.
This
project
is
one
of
the
most
complicated
and
expensive
in
human
history
.
Hydrogen
plasma
needs
to
be
heated
to
150
million
degrees
,
which
is
ten
times
hotter
than
the
sun's
core
.
The
doughnut
-
shaped
reactor
will
be
surrounded
by
giant
magnets
which
will
take
the
extremely
hot
plasma
away
from
the
metal
walls
of
the
container
.
The
magnets
need
to
be
cooled
to
-
269°C
.
The
problem
is
creating
the
extreme
conditions
necessary
for
these
reactions
to
occur
,
harnessing
the
resulting
energy
safely
,
and
controlling
the
reactions
of
the
energy
.
It
is
perfect
timing
for
a
to
nuclear
fusion
.
Electricity
may
double
by
2050
,
mainly
because
of
the
industrialization
of
the
developing
world
.
Wind
and
solar
energies
are
becoming
hugely
popular
,
but
that
growth
may
not
be
enough
to
the
side
effects
of
a
warming
climate
.
Google
and
Microsoft
co
-
founder
Paul
Allen
is
also
interested
in
developing
the
technology
.
The
internet
giant
announced
in
2017
that
it
had
created
a
partnership
with
Tri
Alpha
Energy
(
TAE
)
to
generate
new
computer
algorithms
that
could
help
test
the
ideas
behind
nuclear
fusion
engineering
efforts
.
They
are
very
confident
about
being
able
to
control
the
plasma
.
Lockheed
Martin's
is
another
company
that
is
seeing
results
.
Their
fusion
project
,
Skunk
Works
,
is
smaller
,
but
they
say
they
are
able
to
control
and
release
temperatures
of
over
a
hundred
million
degrees
.
Though
there
are
considerable
financial
and
technical
challenges
ahead
,
it
looks
like
the
technology
is
,
just
in
time
to
satisfy
the
world's
energy
needs
and
to
limit
the
effects
of
climate
change
.