Ali Velshi tells us the world is one step closer to a carbon-free, fossil fuel-less future, thanks to U.S. scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Lab director Dr. Kim Budil and team made history on December 5, 2022 with their physics experiment on fusion power by — for the first time ever — generating more energy than was consumed to produce the nuclear fusion reaction.
“Fusion is known as the holy grail of energy production,” says Velshi. “It’s the same energy process that powers the sun and other stars.”
Using a laser Budil describes as “the size of three football fields,” and a hydrogen target the size of a peppercorn, the reaction brings the world decades closer to commercializing fusion power and producing a limitless form of clean, hydrogen-fueled energy.
One thing needed to get there: more modern laser technology. The current setup, Budil explains, was built on 1980s architecture. “There’s a lot of science to be done … and a lot of engineering to be done,” she says.
LISTEN TO ALI VELSHI AND DR. KIM BUDIL EXPLAIN … FUSION
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