World / Scientists seek to replicate the sun's fusion power here on Earth
Assembly begins on ITER, a massive scientific project that seeks to replicate the sun's fusion power here on Earth
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One expert calls it "a milestone for international science" and a "vision for an abundant, clean-energy future."
What if scientists could harness the extraordinarily powerful process that fuels the sun to generate clean energy here on Earth? In a potentially historic milestone, they are taking a step towards just such a future today. At a ceremony Tuesday morning in southern France, a 35-country consortium officially began the assembly phase of a megaproject known as ITER — the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Once assembly is complete, about four and a half years from now, it will be the world's first industrial-scale fusion device. If successful, it promises to pave the way for virtually limitless, waste-free energy. Fusion is the process that powers stars like the sun, which can be thought of as a gigantic fusion reactor. When two atomic nuclei combine, or fuse, to form a heavier nucleus, energy is released. However, here on Earth, fusion as a form of power generation remains largely theoretical. While scientists have managed to achieve fusion, to date it has only been done for very short periods of time and never produced more energy than it took to actually make the fusion reaction occur. The aim of ITER, which will be the world's largest scientific research facility, is to demonstrate that fusion power can be generated sustainably in a human-controlled process on a commercial scale. A view of ITER assembly. The facility in southern France is an international collaboration that aims to generate industrial-scale fusion energy. ITER.org Michael Mauel, a professor of applied physics at Columbia University, called the start of ITER assembly "a milestone for international science and demonstration of the great achievements that are made possible by sharing resources, expertise, and vision for an abundant, clean-energy future." To say fusion is the holy grail of energy would not be an overstatement. That's because the fuel for fusion is readily available and abundant, there is no physical possibility of meltdown, and the output produces no carbon…