2023
December 31, 2023
A look at the top science stories and breakthroughs of 2023
Researchers note some signs of hope that nuclear fusion might one day be feasible. The National Ignition Facility, an experimental laser-based fusion device at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, has produced slightly more energy than it used a total of four times since December 2022. (PBS NewsHour)
December 31, 2023
2023’s Top Stories About Energy
Lots of love for batteries and fusion—and a couple of offbeat breakthroughs. (IEEE Spectrum)
December 28, 2023
$16M Given LLNL To Help Fusion Energy Progress
The momentum behind fusion power, ignited by a breakthrough event at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) last year, will continue to build with newly established programs dedicated to bringing fusion to the grid. (The Independent)
December 28, 2023
In Support of Fusion Energy
It is time to get excited about fusion power. Amid growing extreme-weather events worldwide, a team at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has embarked on a quest to bring clean, commercial fusion power to the grid. (The Independent)
December 28, 2023
Seven Moments in December that Changed Nuclear Energy History
Finally, while most of the milestones on this list concern advances in nuclear fission, nuclear fusion holds tremendous potential as a source of plentiful, carbon-free energy. (Homeland Security News Wire)
December 28, 2023
Nuclear fusion lab achieves net energy gain
National Ignition Facility (NIF) researchers announced their nuclear fusion reactor achieved repeated “ignition,” also known as net zero or net energy gain. (Planet Concerns)
December 28, 2023
POWER’s Top 5 Posts from 2023
4. Fusion Energy Reaches Prime Time (May 1, 2023). (Power Magazine)
December 28, 2023
Nuclear fusion is entering a “new era” after major progress toward almost limitless clean energy GeoTv News
Scientists have been able to reproduce nuclear fusion repeatedly for the first time, marking a major milestone towards achieving nearly limitless clean energy on a large scale. (GeoTv News)
December 26, 2023
Renewable Energy Tech to Watch in 2024
We run down some of the renewable energy technologies we'll be watching in 2024. (CNET)
December 26, 2023
US nuclear fusion lab achieves net energy gain
National Ignition Facility (NIF) researchers announced their nuclear fusion reactor achieved repeated “ignition,” also known as net zero or net energy gain. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
December 24, 2023
2023 will be the warmest year on record, scientists say
As disasters force everyone to imagine how to live with nature transformed, breakthroughs in clean energy also abound by the day. Scientists at the National Ignition Facility have repeated their success in Nuclear Fusion, nudging the world closer to one powered by little manmade stars in boxes that use saltwater for fuel and never melt down. (25 News)
December 22, 2023
Can Nuclear Fusion Power The Future? Scientists Announce A Major Breakthrough
Nuclear fusion, once considered science fiction, is now steadily turning into reality. (One India)
December 22, 2023
A Day of Significant Global Developments: December 21, 2023
On December 21, 2023, the world woke up to witnessing a significant breakthrough in climate change mitigation, as a new technology was unveiled promising a significant reduction in carbon emissions. (BNN)
December 21, 2023
US scientists have launched a new nuclear era they call the ‘age of ignition’
US scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Lab have entered what they’re calling the “age of ignition.” (Business Insider)
December 21, 2023
US Nuclear Fusion Laboratory Repeats Net-Energy Gain Experiments; Fusion Power Closer In Sight
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have reportedly reached the milestone of repeated fusion reactions that generate more energy than they consume, the institution announced in its December report. (International Business Times)
December 21, 2023
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists successfully replicate historic nuclear fusion breakthrough three times
Scientists in California shooting nearly 200 lasers at a cylinder holding a fuel capsule the size of a peppercorn have taken another step in the quest for fusion energy, which, if mastered, could provide the world with a near-limitless source of clean power. (San Jose Mercury News)
December 21, 2023
US on the cusp of mastering nuclear fusion:
The US is entering a 'new era' of nuclear fusion after scientists announced they have consistently replicated the reaction. (Daily Mail)
December 21, 2023
Nuclear Fusion Power Inches Closer to Reality
The dream of fusion power is tantalizing: The ability to sustain nuclear fusion easily and efficiently would offer the world vast amounts of non-polluting clean energy. (The Messenger)
December 21, 2023
America is getting closer to producing electricity from fusion reactions
Scientists in California are one step closer to producing fusion energy, promising to provide the world with an almost endless source of clean electricity. (Vietnam Posts English)
December 21, 2023
‘Holy Grail’ of Clean Energy Was No Fluke
Lab says it’s replicated fusion milestone at least 3 times. (Newser)
December 21, 2023
Nuclear Fusion Power Replicated Successfully, Bringing Clean Energy Closer
A team of scientists has successfully replicated a promising nuclear fusion experiment, bringing the dream of sustainable fusion power closer to reality. (Bollyinside)
December 21, 2023
Green Energy Breakthrough: Repetitive Success in Nuclear Fusion Experiments
In a remarkable advancement for clean energy technology, scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have replicated a historic nuclear fusion reaction at least three times this year. (Dagens.com)
December 21, 2023
Scientists successfully replicate historic nuclear fusion breakthrough three times
Scientists in California shooting nearly 200 lasers at a cylinder holding a fuel capsule the size of a peppercorn have taken another step in the quest for fusion energy, which, if mastered, could provide the world with a near-limitless source of clean power. (Saudi Gazette)
December 21, 2023
Nuclear fusion enters ‘new era’ after major breakthrough for near-limitless clean energy
Scientists have managed to repeatedly produce nuclear fusion ignition for the first time, marking a major milestone towards achieving near-limitless clean energy at scale. (Mahalsa.co.uk)
December 20, 2023
Scientists successfully replicate historic nuclear fusion breakthrough three times
Scientists in California shooting nearly 200 lasers at a cylinder holding a fuel capsule the size of a peppercorn have taken another step in the quest for fusion energy, which, if mastered, could provide the world with a near-limitless source of clean power. (CNN)
December 20, 2023
The 12 Most Mind-Blowing Science Breakthroughs of 2023
1. Nuclear Fusion Is — Finally — in Its Ignition Era. (Inverse)
December 20, 2023
‘Fusion Ignition’ demonstrated fourth time at Lawrence Laboratory
‘Fusion Ignition’ achieved first in December 2022 has been demonstrated another three times to date at National Ignition Facility (NIF) of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). (Scientific European)
December 20, 2023
Fusion, for the first time there is a significant energy gain
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States announced that they had set a world record by producing a fusion reaction that released more energy than was consumed, a phenomenon known as ignition. Now they have demonstrated that the feat was not accidental by replicating it several times.
(Italy 24 News)
December 20, 2023
UCLA joins $42 million Department of Energy hubs to advance fusion energy
UCLA has joined a recently announced $42 million multi-institutional, multidisciplinary program to advance foundational inertial fusion energy research, funded by the Department of Energy. (UCLA Newsroom)
December 20, 2023
With 200 lasers and a fuel capsule smaller than a peppercorn, scientists inch closer to mastering fusion energy
Scientists are making significant progress towards the goal of achieving sustainable fusion energy with the development of a groundbreaking system. (Energy Portal)
December 20, 2023
Nuclear Fusion Ignition Replicated Multiple Times in Historic Breakthrough
Nuclear scientists were able to replicate fusion ignition at least three times this year, marking a significant leap forward in the race to solve the climate crisis, according to a report this month by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (Daily Beast)
December 19, 2023
Nuclear fusion ignition reaction achieved multiple times in the US
Scientists at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) have produced fusion reactions that released more energy than they consumed, a process known as ignition, multiple times after the reaction was first achieved in December 2022. (Power Technology)
December 19, 2023
American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) Hosts its 43rd Annual Conference
Dr. Rosen will discuss the world’s largest laser at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), detailing the 2022 achievement of generating more fusion energy than the laser energy driving it—a breakthrough with implications for carbon-free, inherently safe fusion energy production. (AZO Optics)
December 19, 2023
Nuclear fusion enters ‘new era’ after major breakthrough for near-limitless clean energy
Scientists have managed to repeatedly produce nuclear fusion ignition for the first time, marking a major milestone towards achieving near-limitless clean energy at scale. (The Independent)
December 18, 2023
Daily briefing: Repeated ignition signals nuclear-fusion breakthrough
This year, the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) has lived up to its name by achieving ignition using lasers — not once, but four times. (Nature)
December 18, 2023
OU to develop curriculum for next generation of fusion workers
The University of Oklahoma is seeking to develop a workforce to operate the first generation of commercial fusion workers. (Norman Transcript)
December 17, 2023
The largest fusion reactor in the world fired up in Japan. Here’s how the $600 million device compares to the US's revolutionary fusion machine
Nuclear fusion has the potential to revolutionize the world by creating abundant, emissions-free energy. (Business Insider)
December 15, 2023
US nuclear-fusion lab enters new era: achieving ‘ignition’ over and over
Researchers at the National Ignition Facility are consistently creating reactions that make more energy than they consume. (Nature)
December 14, 2023
Brain–computer interface that allowed paralysed man to walk is Physics World 2023 Breakthrough of the Year
An honourable mention in our top 10 for this year goes to physicists working at the $3.5bn National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the US for work that was performed at the lab late last year after we picked our 2022 winners (and so misses out on our 2023 breakthrough choice too). (Physics World)
December 14, 2023
DOE to fund $42M inertial fusion hub program
The hubs will be led by researchers at Colorado State University, the University of Rochester, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where last year a team successfully achieved fusion ignition for the first time, proving that creating energy from fusion is possible. (Power Engineering)
December 14, 2023
Force of nature — fusion for the future?
Can the long-awaited and seemingly science fiction of nuclear fusion ever become a commercial reality? (Institute or Materials, Minerals & Mining)
December 13, 2023
Nuclear-fusion breakthrough: this physicist helped to achieve the first-ever energy gain
Annie Kritcher and her team at the US National Ignition Facility designed fusion experiments that generated more energy than they consumed. (Nature)
December 13, 2023
For the first time, the journal ‘Nature’ has chosen a non-human being —ChatGPT— as one of its scientists of the year
Annie Kritcher, an engineer at the National Ignition Facility, played a key role in this achievement by creating the capsule that traps the atoms on which laser beams are directed to initiate the nuclear reaction. (EL PAÍS)
December 13, 2023
US DOE Offers Funding to Develop Inertial Fusion Reactors
Several institutions including the pioneering Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have been selected as potential recipients to form multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary hubs that will build on the government laboratory’s fusion breakthrough last December. (Rigzone)
December 12, 2023
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory receives $16M boost in federal funding
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will be receiving a $16 million boost in federal funding as part of a national billion-dollar program aimed at advancing fusion energy, which many advocates see as a clean energy alternative. (NBC Bay Area News)
December 12, 2023
SLAC brings rapid-fire laser and target expertise to fusion energy
Following on last year’s fusion ignition breakthrough at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), the hubs aim to accelerate foundational inertial fusion research and technology development toward a potential clean and abundant energy source. (Win News)
December 12, 2023
DOE Announces $42 Million Inertial Fusion Energy Hubs
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $42 million for a program that will establish multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary hubs to advance foundational inertial fusion energy (IFE) science and technology, building on the groundbreaking work of the Department’s researchers into harnessing the power of the sun and stars. (Hi-Line Today)
December 12, 2023
The science behind the energy technology explained
It's been a year of big developments in the nuclear fusion space. In August, scientists at the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California repeated a breakthrough they first made in December 2022, achieving a "net energy gain" in fusion ignition. (World Economic Forum)
December 12, 2023
US Department of Energy backs three laser fusion development 'hubs'
Led by researchers at Colorado State University (CSU), the University of Rochester, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the three teams will seek to build on the ground-breaking work at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), where fusion with energy gain, or “burn”, was first achieved almost exactly a year ago and since repeated three times. (Optics.org)
December 11, 2023
Another Major Milestone in the Race for Nuclear Fusion
In the latest step to advance nuclear fusion technology, the world’s biggest reactor has just opened for business in Japan. (OilPrice.com)
December 11, 2023
DOE Fuels Fusion Research with $42M-Backed Hubs
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a $42 million initiative to establish three research hubs — at the University of Rochester (UR), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Colorado State University (CSU) — to address critical work in fusion energy. (Photonics Spectra)
December 10, 2023
The 10 Biggest Stories Of 2023 That Say The Future Is Here
1. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) has repeated a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net positive energy yield. Although the NIF isn’t on a direct path to commercial fusion power production, this progress is one of the biggest achievements in decades to make fusion available for mass production. (Forbes)
December 10, 2023
Energy Department Launches Fusion Energy Hubs
Scientists across the nation are looking to attempt to harness the power of a star using fusion energy.
(The Dallas Express)
December 10, 2023
3 laser fusion research centers selected by Ministry of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy is setting up three research centers in hopes of harnessing miniature laser-guided thermonuclear explosions for future power plants, officials announced Thursday. (US Today News)
December 8, 2023
3 laser fusion research hubs picked by energy department
The U.S. Department of Energy is creating three research hubs in the hopes of harnessing miniature laser-driven thermonuclear explosions for future power plants, officials announced Thursday. (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)
December 8, 2023
The United States Looks to Fusion to Re-inject Energy in the Global Climate Efforts
Fusion energy ascended in prominence at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, as U.S. special envoy for climate change John Kerry appealed to the world for greater international cooperation on fusion energy on December 5. (Center for Strategic & International Studies)
December 8, 2023
Rochester’s Laser Lab heads new national inertial fusion energy hub
The University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) has received a four-year, $10 million award from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fusion Energy Science (FES) to lead a national research hub dedicated to advancing inertial fusion energy (IFE) science and technology. (Science Magazine)
December 8, 2023
SLAC Joins Forces with Leading Institutions to Advance Fusion Energy Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a collaboration between SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Colorado State University (CSU), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and other esteemed institutions. (Energy Daily)
December 8, 2023
Shaping a new generation of nuclear fusion researchers
Robert Spiers is UD’s first graduate student to win NNSA Stewardship Science fellowship. (UDaily)
December 7, 2023
3 Laser Fusion Research Hubs Picked by Energy Department
With $42 million, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Colorado State University and the University of Rochester will work on studies to tap into a bountiful energy source. (The New York Times)
December 7, 2023
Physics World reveals its top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2023
An honourable mention in our top 10 for this year goes to physicists working at the $3.5bn National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the US for work that was performed at the lab late last year after we picked our 2022 winners (and so misses out on our 2023 breakthrough choice too). (Physics World)
December 7, 2023
Livermore Lab Director Shares History and Vision for Facility
Last week, Lawrence Livermore National Lab Director Kim Budil spoke to an audience at the Bankhead Theater, providing a history of the the lab’s accomplishments and a look into its future. (The Independent)
December 7, 2023
Japan begins operations for the world’s biggest nuclear fusion reactor
Last year, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved a net energy gain with nuclear fusion for the first time ever. If the JT-60SA is successful, we could be looking at a whole new green power source. (The Millennial Source)
December 6, 2023
San Diego’s General Atomics Praises U.S. Plan to Speed Commercialization of Nuclear Fusion
San Diego-based General Atomics applauded a White House plan unveiled Tuesday to encourage global commercialization of nuclear fusion to produce clean electricity. (Times of San Diego)
December 6, 2023
US Announces Global Nuclear Fusion Strategy at COP28
This week, at COP28 in Dubai, the White House announced that it is seeking to work with the international community to speed up efforts to develop nuclear fusion, a carbon-free energy source that would transform the world’s energy grids and play a large role in decarbonizing the economy. (Vision Times)
December 5, 2023
What’s happening in big fusion? A global update
One year ago today, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a record shot at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) that set the world talking about the potential of fusion energy. And the buzz hasn’t stopped. (Nuclear Newswire)
December 5, 2023
At COP28, John Kerry unveils nuclear fusion strategy as a source of clean energy
The United States will work with other governments to speed up efforts to make nuclear fusion a new source of carbon-free energy, U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry said Tuesday, the latest of many U.S. announcements the last week aimed at combatting climate change. (Toronto Star)
December 5, 2023
Kerry unveils nuclear fusion plan at COP28
Delegates from around the globe have come together in Dubai for the COP28 climate summit to identify solutions to limit the warming of the planet. On Tuesday, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry proposed that nuclear fusion could “revolutionize” the world. (NHK)
December 5, 2023
US Announces Nuclear Fusion Strategy At COP28, As Technological Developments Speed Timeline
The U.S. unveiled the world”s first international nuclear fusion strategy at COP28 on Tuesday, as recent technological advancements have made utility-scale fusion power a realistic possibility for the not-so-long-term future. (International Business Times)
December 5, 2023
Japanese Experimental Nuclear Fusion Reactor Inaugurated
The world's largest experimental nuclear fusion reactor was inaugurated in Japan on Friday, marking a significant milestone in the development of this technology. (Tech360)
December 5, 2023
The Dawn of Nuclear Fusion Energy and Its Potential
Last year, U.S. researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory managed to achieve an unprecedented milestone in the field of energy — a pivotal moment for nuclear fusion energy technology. (RetailWire)
December 5, 2023
U.S. Set to Lead Global Research for Nuclear Fusion
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said the U.S. is ready to work with other governments on research and development of nuclear fusion, as part of efforts to produce more carbon-free energy and combat climate change. (Power Magazine)
December 4, 2023
The world’s largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor is up and running
Japan and the European Union have officially inaugurated testing at the world’s largest experimental nuclear fusion plant. (Popular Science)
December 4, 2023
Limitless thinking in climate talks
A U.S. plan for the world to pool efforts on commercialized fusion energy will help alter the tone on solving climate change.(The Christian Science Monitor)
December 4, 2023
Companies say they’re closing in on nuclear fusion as an energy source. Will it work?
In a gleaming warehouse complex north of Seattle, David Kirtley is building what he hopes will be the future of power generation. (KACU)
December 4, 2023
Why Nuclear Fusion Is Both Promising and Challenging
In late 2022, researchers celebrated a long-sought scientific milestone and replicated it in July. (Bloomberg News)
December 4, 2023
Largest nuclear fusion reactor, emulating Sun’s energy, now online
Japan has revealed the world’s largest functional experimental nuclear fusion reactor, named JT-60SA. (The New Indian)
December 1, 2023
Japanese experimental nuclear fusion reactor inaugurated
On Friday, Japan hosted the world’s largest operational experimental nuclear fusion reactor. Although this technology is still in its early stages, some believe it holds the key to meeting humanity’s energy needs in the future. (News Hour)
December 1, 2023
Japanese experimental nuclear fusion reactor inaugurated
The world's biggest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in operation was inaugurated in Japan on Friday, a technology in its infancy but billed by some as the answer to humanity's future energy needs. (Phys.org)
November 30, 2023
COP28: Nuclear industry pushes for a role in net-zero strategy, at climate summit in Dubai
US launches international fission and fusion initiative. (Data Center Dynamics)
November 29, 2023
Who Will Lead The Age Of Fusion Energy?
Every now and then, a scientific breakthrough changes the world. (Forbes)
November 28, 2023
Could a fusion electricity plant come here in the next decade?
Could we get a fusion pilot plant in the next decade that produces electricity using the hydrogen-like reactions that power our sun and all other stars? A possible location for this facility that would never melt down, or release climate-altering greenhouse gases or produce highly radioactive waste: the Oak Ridge area.
(The Oak Ridger)
November 28, 2023
UCLA Enlists in LaserNetUS for Laser-Plasma Science Research Advancement
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) joined LaserNetUS, a consortium of the nation’s best large laser facilities established by the Department of Energy to advance and promote laser-plasma science and provide students and researchers with broad access to unique facilities. (Go Photonics)
November 27, 2023
Why the world’s most powerful lasers could unlock secrets of the cosmos
They are the most intense lasers ever built, and their beams are helping scientists probe the fabric of the Universe. (BBC)
November 27, 2023
When a bond gets too extreme
Chemical bonds are part of the way chemists rationalise the behaviour of atoms in the conditions of the world around them. Tim Wogan looks at how they are affected when those conditions change. (Chemistry World)
November 29, 2023
Harnessing the power of the sun
In December 2022 and July 2023, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, with support from Los Alamos and other institutions, took a step forward in the journey. (National Security Science)
November 24, 2023
USA to announce global fusion strategy at COP28
The announcement aims to speed commercialisation of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which in August 2023 tested for a second time net energy gain through a fusion reaction at the National Ignition Facility in California, USA. (The Energy Year)
November 23, 2023
Livermore Lab Scientists Named American Physical Society Fellows
Two Lawrence Livermore National Lab scientists received international recognition last month for their contributions to physics. (The Independent)
November 23, 2023
This U.S. Startup Is Aiming For Nuclear Fusion Using Plasma Railguns
Recent advancements, such as the National Ignition Facility’s success in December, have offered glimmers of progress. (Wonderful Engineering)
November 22, 2023
Closer To Reality: US Fuels Nuclear Fusion Progress Through Tech Leaps
Nuclear fusion will be a focal point of the agenda at COP 28, in a previously unprecedented development spurred by recent advancements in fusion technology. (International Business Times)
November 22, 2023
US startup aims nuclear fusion using plasma railguns
NearStar Fusion, a five-person startup in Chantilly, Virginia, has a new energy-generating approach using nuclear fusion. (Interesting Engineering)
November 22, 2023
Fusion industry outlines ambitious plans to deliver electricity to the grid by 2035
Andrew Holland, chief executive of the Fusion Industry Association, tells Hamish Johnston how commercial fusion could be delivering electricity to the grid by 2035. (Physics World)
November 21, 2023
US to announce first global nuclear fusion strategy at COP28
The United States is slated to outline the first global strategy for commercializing nuclear fusion power at this year’s COP28 summit in Dubai in what could be a major milestone in scientists’ decadeslong quest to achieve and deploy the carbon-free source of electricity. (Washington Examiner)
November 21, 2023
US set to announce global nuclear fusion strategy at COP28
The US will reportedly use the COP28 climate summit in Dubai as a platform to lay out a first international strategy for commercialising nuclear fusion power. (Recharge)
November 20, 2023
US to announce global nuclear fusion strategy at COP28
The U.S. will lay out the first international strategy to commercialize nuclear fusion power at the upcoming UN climate summit in Dubai, U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry will say on Monday, two sources familiar with the announcement said. (Reuters)
November 20, 2023
US to announce nuclear fusion strategy at COP28
The U.S. will lay out the first international strategy for commercializing nuclear fusion power at the upcoming UN climate summit in Dubai, U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry will announce on Monday, two sources familiar with the announcement said. (Daily Mail)
November 20, 2023
Goodbye Fossil Fuels — Hello Fusion Energy
On Sept. 17, hundreds of thousands marched in New York City and elsewhere demanding an end to fossil fuel use. (International Business Times)
November 20, 2023
Climate tech’s biggest hits and misses in 2023
Late last year, the fusion world was awash in excitement. In December, the team at the National Ignition Facility said they had produced a net-positive fusion reaction, the first time anyone had been able to do that outside of a hydrogen bomb. (TechCrunch+)
November 16, 2023
LLNL Begins Work on Imaging Inside of Mountains
The ability to photograph the insides of objects has found applications from medicine to security, but what if we could peer much deeper, applying the same concept to objects as big as mountains? (The Independent)
November 15, 2023
The world’s biggest laser and the pea
At our EmTech MIT event this week, I sat down with Kimberly Budil, director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). (MIT Technology Review)
November 14, 2023
USA, UK Agree to Cooperate on Fusion Energy Development
The USA and the United Kingdom have signed a pact to work together to accelerate the commercial deployment of fusion energy through joint research and regulatory framework formulation. (Rigzone)
November 13, 2023
Start-Ups With Laser Beams: The Companies Trying to Ignite Fusion Energy
Take a smidgen of hydrogen, then blast it with lasers to set off a small thermonuclear explosion. Do it right, and maybe you can solve the world’s energy needs. (New York Times)
November 10, 2023
Focused Energy partners with LLNL on inertial fusion energy targets
Focused Energy and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have signed a strategic partnership project agreement that will allow LLNL—home of the National Ignition Facility (NIF)—to help the company develop and assess isochoric compression target designs for inertial fusion energy. (Nuclear Newswire)
November 10, 2023
From fusion to exoplanets: How to squeeze matter with light
Scientists are studying ultra-high-pressure regimes in the Universe, not through traditional means like physical compression, but by using lasers. (Big Think)
November 10, 2023
UK signs major deal with the US to develop nuclear fusion technology
The UK has signed a deal with the US to further research into advanced fusion energy as part of efforts to tackle the climate crisis. (Engineering and Technology Magazine)
November 9, 2023
Landmark nuclear fusion deal struck to end climate crisis
Major breakthrough in fusion was made last year by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
(The Independent)
November 9, 2023
Investments to be a Critical Determinant of Fusion Endeavors
The nuclear fusion industry witnessed tremendous developments in 2023. The year 2022 drew its curtains with the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Lab producing a fusion reaction in the laboratory that yielded more energy than was absorbed by the fuel to initiate it. (Power Electronics News)
November 9, 2023
US And UK Announce ‘Major New Partnership’
The US and the UK have announced a “major new partnership” in nuclear fusion as they seek to make the technology commercially viable. (NucNews)
November 4, 2023
Investment Key for Development of Innovative Japan N-Tech
When the U.S.-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced in December that it had succeeded in reaping more energy from a fusion experiment than had been put in, startups with related technologies began attracting considerable attention, resulting in an unprecedented boom within the industry. (The Times of Japan)
November 3, 2023
NNSA’s preferred plan for Livermore involves building 3 million square feet through 2035
The NNSA’s preferred option for continuing operations at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory involves building more than three million square feet of new facilities at various sites in California through 2035. (Exchange Monitor)
November 2, 2023
Optica Announces 2024 Fellows Class
Peter Jeffrey Wisoff, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA. For outstanding technical and program leadership in lasers and inertial confinement fusion in achieving fusion ignition in a laboratory setting. Jean-Michel Di Nicola, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA. For world-class scientific and engineering contributions in high-energy and high-peak-power laser systems, and key technical leadership at the National Ignition Facility. (Novus Light Technologies Today)
November 1, 2023
Pursuing fusion power
Scientists have been chasing the dream of harnessing the reactions that power the Sun since the dawn of the atomic era. Interest, and investment, in the carbon-free energy source is heating up. (Knowable Magazine)
October 31, 2023
Fusion Energy: Seizing Our Opportunity for a Clean Energy Future
Now is the time for Congress to double down on support for fusion energy development. (NAE Perspectives)
October 30, 2023
Honda Joins Race for High Tech 3D-Printed Metal Car Parts
The new system arose from the challenge of fabricating the reaction chamber for a laser-driven fusion system at the US Department of Energy’s National Ignition Facility in California, where DeMuth worked before launching Seurat. (CleanTechnica)
October 29, 2023
Why we don’t have fusion power plants yet, and what it’ll take to get clean, limitless energy to market
Over the past year, nuclear fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility achieved a huge milestone when their reactions yielded more energy than they put into it. (Business Insider)
October 27, 2023
Leading fusion innovator TAE Technologies applauds North Carolina’s enactment of clean energy legislation
This legislation follows the recent net energy achievement of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and reflects a global race to harness the power of fusion for commercial use. (Cyprus Shipping News)
October 26, 2023
Nucor and Microsoft are counting on nuclear fusion to reduce their emissions
Interest in the sector spiked late last year after a widely publicized breakthrough test at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (GreenBiz)
October 25, 2023
NetApp Insight 2023: All the news and announcements
Phil Adams, CTO of the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is up on stage now. Last year, the lab made history with a breakthrough that was six decades in the making. One that has the “potential to change the future of clean energy.” (IT Pro)
October 25, 2023
Fusion fever: A reality check on the multibillion-dollar race to reinvent energy and save the planet
The nuclear fusion sector is hot. Maybe not 100 million degrees Celsius — which is the sort of mind-blowing temperature needed to make this futuristic power source possible — but the industry is sizzling. (GeekWire)
October 25, 2023
Debra Callahan Receives 2023 Ronald C. Davidson Award for Plasma Physics
Physics of Plasmas has bestowed the 2023 Ronald C. Davidson Award for Plasma Physics to Debra Callahan for her paper “Exploring the limits of case-to-capsule ratio, pulse length, and picket energy for symmetric hohlraum drive on the National Ignition Facility Laser.” (Newswise)
October 24, 2023
Britain is a fusion superpower, but it must not bet all on the wrong technology
Lawrence Livermore achieved ignition last December, producing more energy than it put in with a “gain” rate or “Q” factor of 1.2. It broke the record again in July with a ratio of 1.5. It will be a hard climb to graduate from single bursts of fusion to sustained power with a Q factor of 10, the target for commercial take-off. But the world now knows that it can be done. (Daily Telegraph)
October 24, 2023
Is a Nuclear Fusion Power Grid in America’s Future?
In a move toward carbon-free energy generation in the next decade, the Department of Energy is investing $46 million in designs for nuclear fusion. But can fusion energy live up to expectations? (EE Power)
October 17, 2023
IAEA’s 29th Fusion Energy Conference attracts 2000 participants
Opening the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 29th Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2023) in London, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi began by wishing a happy 40th anniversary to the Joint European Torus (JET) which operates at Culham near Oxford. (Nuclear Engineering International)
October 16, 2023
Fueling the Future of Fusion Energy
Twice in the past year, scientists at DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have announced a net energy gain created by combining two or more atomic nuclei. (Homeland Security News Wire)
October 16, 2023
US abandoning its leadership in fusion energy
US House and Senate shortchange recent ignition research milestone with a funding shortfall while UK surges into the fusion energy lead. (Asia Times)
October 14, 2023
TAE Technologies applauds California’s landmark fusion energy bill
The legislation follows the recent net energy achievement of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, and reflects a global race to harness the power of fusion for commercial use. (APN News)
October 14, 2023
Limitless clean energy
The dream of limitless clean energy that can continuously supply power to electrical grids has always been just that…. a dream. This dream is now getting much closer to reality with the recent scientific advances related to nuclear fusion energy. (Aiken Standard)
October 14, 2023
Printing a new approach to fusion power plant materials
MIT PhD student Alexander O’Brien is working to deliver the next generation of fusion devices through research on additive manufacturing of metal-ceramic composites. (MIT News)
October 13, 2023
Can German engineering solve the challenges of fusion?
Last month the German government announced an additional €370m (£320m; $390m) in funding for nuclear fusion research and development. (BBC)
October 13, 2023
Laser Lab supercomputer ranked one of the world’s most powerful
The new supercomputer enables a four-fold increase in high-performance computing to simulate high-energy-density physics and inertial confinement fusion experiments. (University of Rochester News Center)
October 11, 2023
Japanese laser fusion tech to help power South Australia
The laser fusion technology made international news late last year, with scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory overcoming a major barrier in nuclear fusion when, for the first time, they were able to produce more energy from a fusion experiment than was put in. (Energy Source Distribution)
October 10, 2023
Making an Impact: 5 Summer Internships that Ignited Students’ Passions
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the world’s largest and highest-energy laser, big enough to hold three football fields. (UC San Diego Today)
October 10, 2023
Scientific Breakthroughs of 2022: Charting a New Course in Chemistry, Biology, and Physics
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved a significant milestone in nuclear fusion, producing more energy than consumed. (BNN)
October 9, 2023
World in ‘race against time’ to decarbonise
Declaring that there is “tremendous opportunity” for scientific advancement through the development of artificial intelligence (AI), Zoe Lofgren, ranking member of the US House of Representatives on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, says there are also concerns about the possible implications of its progress on the environment. (The Gleaner)
October 9, 2023
Texas A&M Institute Part Of National Effort To Harness Nuclear Fusion For Limitless Energy
The Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering is a major player in advancing laser-driven fusion energy. (Texas A&M Today)
October 6, 2023
Kim Budil and Lawrence Livermore lab light the way to potentially limitless clean energy with fusion discovery
Kim Budil’s team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory might have made a discovery that could supply clean energy to billions. (San Francisco Business Times)
October 6, 2023
NRC to Propose Rules for Fusion Systems
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will propose a rule governing fusion system licensing requirements, the NRC said in an Oct. 4 Federal Register filing. (California Energy Markets)
October 2, 2023
Laser-fusion experiment squeezes out even more energy
Lightning has struck a second time for physicists using lasers to achieve nuclear fusion—the process in which two atomic nuclei combine into one while releasing enormous amounts of energy. (Science)
October 2023
Fifty Years of Progress at NIF
Optica Laser Congress plenary speakers Mary Spaeth and Ken Manes will talk about advances at the US National Ignition Facility. (Optics & Photonics News)
September 29, 2023
America Will Have a Working Fusion Reactor Within 12 Years, Come Hell or High Water
Though fuel was added to the fire by the U.S. achieving fusion ignition in December of 2022, realizing the promise of nuclear fusion still faces many engineering and technological obstacles. (Popular Mechanics)
September 29, 2023
50 years ago, scientists dreamed of lasers that could kick off nuclear fusion
Laser fusion is starting to hit its stride. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California use 192 laser beams to blast a target with millions of joules of energy in an attempt to initiate fusion. (Science News)
September 29, 2023
Why nuclear fusion breakthroughs should herald an IP race
In July 2023, a research team in California achieved a breakthrough in nuclear fusion ignition. (World Intellectual Property Review)
September 29, 2023
Nuclear fusion and the future of clean energy
The NIF experiment has opened up a new avenue for achieving nuclear fusion. India should invest in it since it can help India achieve its net-zero carbon emissions goals. (Observer Research Foundation)
September 28, 2023
Meet the team leaders behind last year’s successful fusion experiment
It didn’t last very long, but scientists at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) did run a test that resulted in nuclear fusion late last year. (Federal News Network)
September 28, 2023
US Aims for Fusion Energy Future by 2035
In a significant move towards clean energy, the US has set its sights on developing its first commercial nuclear fusion facility within the next decade. (One Green Planet)
September 28, 2023
The other fusion challenge: harvesting the power
You undoubtedly saw the impressive news back in December 2022 that using what is called “inertial confinement”, scientists and engineering teams at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved fusion “success” by producing more energy than the energy delivered by its 192 lasers converging on a target. (EDN)
September 28, 2023
Scaling NIF Laser Fusion to 2030
This is a summary of the information from the Inertial Fusion Science and Applications 2023 conference and the presentations and announcements from Lawrence Livermore National Labs and the National Ignition facility. (The Next Big Future)
September 27, 2023
LLNL NIF Plans for Higher Laser Power and a Roadmap to Over 10X Fusion Gain
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) made worldwide news when they reached nuclear fusion ignition in December 2022 but they went beyond that result on July 30, 2023.
(The Next Big Future)
September 27, 2023
Fusion Experiments Shatter Previous Energy Records
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a groundbreaking ignition, producing more energy than what was put in, and later replicated this achievement. (OilPrice.com)
September 27, 2023
UK’s Vulcan laser set for £85M upgrade to 20PW output
While the existing Vulcan laser represented the “state-of-the-art” in high-power lasers when it was first built, other facilities — notably the various sources at the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) sites in eastern Europe — have since raised power levels to 10 petawatts, while the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California is able to produce the megajoule-scale bursts of energy required for laser fusion. (Optics.org)
September 27, 2023
Nucor Corporation and Helion Energy Collaborate to Build Groundbreaking Fusion Power Plant
Recent advancements in fusion research, particularly from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, have paved the way for this exciting collaboration. (The Best Stocks)
September 26, 2023
The Biden Administration Aims to Develop Commercial Nuclear Fusion Facility by 2031
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced on Monday that the Biden administration hopes to build a commercial nuclear fusion facility within the next decade as part of the country’s transition to clean energy. (EnergyPortal.eu)
September 26, 2023
US aims to create nuclear fusion facility within 10 years
United States Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Biden administration hopes to create a commercial nuclear fusion facility within 10 years as part of the nation’s transition to clean energy. (The Business Standard)
September 26, 2023
Significant Milestone Achieved in Laser Fusion: Potentially More Efficient Source of Energy
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have made significant progress in the field of laser fusion. (Zelosos por Buenas Renovables)
September 25, 2023
A Laser Fusion Breakthrough Gets a Bigger Burst of Energy
In July, scientists at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California generated a burst of energy by bombarding a pellet of hydrogen with 192 lasers, reproducing for a brief moment the process of fusion that powers the sun. (The New York Times)
September 25, 2023
US aims to create nuclear fusion facility within 10 years
The Biden administration hopes to create a commercial nuclear fusion facility within 10 years as part of the nation’s transition to clean energy, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Monday.
(The Associated Press)
September 25, 2023
Move Methodically and Fix Things:
Seurat CEO James DeMuth Shows How Metal 3D Printing is Remaking US Tech Landscape. 3DPrint.com)
September 20, 2023
Microsoft’s Rationale For Nuclear Fusion And Direct Air Capture Bets
Microsoft Corp. is a fearless partner in the battle to defeat climate change, making bold bets on nuclear fusion and direct air capture — nascent technologies that may take decades to develop and scale. (Forbes)
September 19, 2023
Is fusion energy getting any closer to reality?
Research in fusion energy has made significant progress over the past decade. So, are we getting close to practical fusion energy? (Interesting Engineering)
September 18, 2023
Sydney students building nuclear device to unlock the energy of stars
Sydney students are building a device capable of nuclear fusion — the process that powers stars and could unlock enormous amounts of carbon-free energy on Earth. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
September 18, 2023
Want to Study STEM in the US? Here’s What You Need to Know
Programs focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are popular among foreign students looking to study in the U.S. (Voice of America)
September 17, 2023
How nuclear fusion rockets could launch a new era of super-fast space travel
Last year, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved a net energy gain in nuclear fusion for the first time, using lasers to fuse two light atoms into a single one in order to release more energy than was input. (The Independent)
September 15, 2023
FAMU Joins Florida LambdaRail Setting Stage for 100G Internet Connectivity
Florida A&M University (FAMU) has accepted an invitation to join the Florida LambdaRail (FLR) Board of Directors, setting the stage for a tenfold increase in campus wireless connectivity and research capacity. (FAMU Forward)
September 14, 2023
UNSW students announce fusion power product which they say will drastically reduce power bills
Energy prices are a big part of the cost-of-living crisis crushing Australians, but some Sydney university students and tech visionaries are working on a new fuel that would eliminate power bills. (The Herald Sun)
September 14, 2023
Energy focused on emerging technology R&D to combat climate change
The Department of Energy is maintaining its focus on applying critical and emerging technologies to help understand and fight the negative impacts of climate change, agency Secretary Jennifer Granholm said before a House committee on Thursday. (Nextgov/FCW)
September 13, 2023
World-first fusion device to be built by UNSW students
For the first time, a nuclear fusion device is to be built and operated by students. (Cosmos Magazine)
September 12, 2023
Fusion research shouldn’t be a nuclear weapons side hustle
The clean and powerful source of energy deserves more funding and support for its own sake.
(The Japan Times)
September 10, 2023
The huge number of deals fuelling nuclear fusion race
London | From the US to the UK and Japan, governments are launching initiatives to help public and private sector scientists work in tandem — in some cases for the first time — on the tantalising goal of fusing atoms to produce safe, zero-emissions power. (Australian Financial Review)
September 6, 2023
Khosla Ventures backs effort to make orchards of lung-like material to absorb CO2 from air
A successful serial entrepreneur and a seasoned chemical engineer with a decade of experience at one of the nation’s premier national labs have come together to develop and scale a new direct air capture technology that mimics the architecture of a human lung. (CNBC)
September 6, 2023
UCSB alum oversees program achieving fusion ignition breakthrough
In December 2022, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a historic breakthrough in science by facilitating a successful fusion ignition — a game changer for the future of nuclear defense and clean energy. (Daily Nexus)
September 1, 2023
SUPER POWER
Physicist Andrea Kritcher played a key role in Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s attainment of fusion ignition—a breakthrough with epic implications. (Diablo Magazine)
September 1, 2023
William & Mary to lead machine learning efforts for nuclear fusion
A $5 million project selected for funding by the Department of Energy will be instrumental to accelerate a federal strategy aiming for commercial fusion energy. (W&M News)
September 1, 2023
Novatron Fusion Group Gearing Up for Breakthrough in Commercialization of Nuclear Fusion
Recently, the US government’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced that it had achieved a net energy gain in fusion for the second time, building on a breakthrough from last year. (USA Today)
August 31, 2023
Ignition accomplished: LLNL team makes history with fusion breakthrough
By reaching fusion ignition at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility, the breakthrough experiment marked a significant milestone in the quest for a net-zero carbon future. (The Business Journals)
August 29, 2023
7 founders explain what fusion power needs to go mainstream
If the 2020s are going to be the decade of AI, then the 2030s could be the decade of fusion power — that is, if the sector’s startups are able to deliver. (TechCrunch)
August 26, 2023
Tom Still: The future of fusion is now ... but also much later
There has been renewed excitement about fusion energy since late 2022, when the National Ignition Laboratory within the Lawrence Livermore federal lab created a fusion reaction that produced more energy than it took to produce. (The Journal Times)
August 26, 2023
Fusion Research Shouldn’t Be a Nuclear Weapons Side Hustle
If humanity survives for thousands more years, our primary energy source could very likely be nuclear fusion. (Washington Post)
August 24, 2023
7 founders and CEOs discuss fusion power’s most pressing challenges
The hype around fusion power is real. Researchers at the National Ignition Facility achieved net-positive controlled nuclear fusion in December 2022, a milestone that’s been decades in the making. Then, earlier this month, they did it again, proving that it wasn’t just a fluke. (TechCrunch)
August 24, 2023
Is the answer to Earth’s power conundrum in space?
However, fusion is difficult to engineer, recreating the sun in a miniature form. Nevertheless, last December a team at Lawrence Livermore Labs in California successfully achieved controlled nuclear fusion, yielding more energy than that required to attain fusion. (The Irish Times)
August 23, 2023
German energy technology company Marvel Fusion partners with Colorado State for US$150m laser facility
The only facility to achieve it is the US’ National Ignition Facility (NIF), which also uses inertial confinement fusion technology and can achieve one shot per day. (The Chemical Engineer)
August 20, 2023
Fusion breakthrough highlights Tri-Valley’s emergence as Bay Area tech mecca
For a brief moment in December, scientists inside a nondescript gray building in the Bay Area suburbs re-created the conditions of the sun. (San Jose Mercury News)
August 20, 2023
Why Your NASA T-Shirt Is Behind the Curve
Gabriela Hearst is one of New York's most influential and acclaimed fashion designers. Her fanbase includes the likes of Kate Middleton, Angelina Jolie and Jill Biden. But, since 2021, her focus has turned to a more unusual muse: nuclear fusion. (Newsweek)
August 16, 2023
Nuclear Fusion: Energy Breakthrough or Ballyhoo?
After scientists worldwide dispelled the false promises surrounding the purported superconductor LK-99, another scientific breakthrough in nuclear fusion naturally drew scrutiny. (Forbes)
August 16, 2023
5 Wild Ideas for a Warming World
As climate-change weather patterns bake and ravage the earth, companies are trying just about anything to reduce their carbon footprints. (The Messenger)
August 16, 2023
Projectile fusion reactor could generate much-needed medical isotopes
Harnessing the power of nuclear fusion to generate electricity is a longstanding aspiration of the physics community. (Physics World)
August 16, 2023
This Week’s Good News For the Climate Crisis
American scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time. This raises hopes that the process can potentially produce a limitless, clean, and safe source of power to help combat climate change. (24/7 Wall Street)
August 16, 2023
The United States Achieves Net Energy Gain in Fusion Reaction
Researchers at the federal Laboratoire for the Lawrence Livermore have achieved a net energy gain with a fusion reaction for the second time. (Energy Portal)
August 15, 2023
The Promise And Perils Of Superconductivity And Fusion Energy
Last week, the LLNL announced that it repeated the results, achieving a net energy gain from a fusion reaction and heralding a pivotal milestone toward the commercial realization of fusion power. (Forbes)
August 15, 2023
US shovels cash into supercomputers hoping to stoke fusion future
Fusion is hot right now — so hot that the US Department of Energy is dumping another $112 million into a dozen supercomputing projects to advance progress on further clean energy breakthroughs. (The Register)
August 15, 2023
FUSION BREAKTHROUGH EXPERIMENT HAS BEEN REPEATED
US scientists have achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction for the second time since a historic breakthrough in December last year in the quest to find a near-limitless, safe and clean source of energy. (WIP Magazines)
August 15, 2023
HB11 Energy receives DOE grant to support its hydrogen-boron fusion programme
Last December (2022), US scientists announced a major breakthrough in recreating nuclear fusion using hydrogen in a central role. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California, US, the production of nuclear fusion in a laboratory was witnessed for the ‘first time.’
(H2 View)
August 15, 2023
Four discoveries that can change our world
Researchers at the National Ignition Facility announced that they had achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction. It could provide us with an unlimited source of green and safe energy. (Mint)
August 15, 2023
US Department of Energy Awards Grant to HB11 Energy for Fusion Energy Research
LLE is an institutional partner of the National Ignition Facility and has demonstrated net energy gain from laser fusion. (Energy Portal)
August 14, 2023
Nuclear fusion milestone repeated; San Diego’s General Atomics with the assist
About eight months after the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory created “net energy” in a nuclear fusion experiment for the first time, researchers at the Northern California lab have repeated the feat — and with better results. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
August 13, 2023
How a US lab created energy with fusion—again
About eight months ago, scientists at a US-government-funded lab replicated the process that powers stars—nuclear fusion—and created more energy than they put in. Now, physicists and engineers at the same facility, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Northern California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, appear to have successfully created an energy-gaining fusion experiment for the second time. (Popular Science)
August 13, 2023
How a US fusion breakthrough left Britain scrambling to catch up
When Nick Hawker heard US scientists had once again successfully generated energy by fusing two atoms together, he immediately realised the significance. (The Telegraph)
August 11, 2023
Something for the weekend: a fusion-powered future?
Last Sunday evening, I broke the news that US government scientists had made another nuclear fusion breakthrough. (Financial Times)
August 11, 2023
Physicists Achieve Net Energy Gain in a Fusion Reaction for the Second Time
Now the team at the National Ignition Facility has repeated the feat, according to a report in the Financial Times. And this time they produced an even higher energy yield than the previous demonstration, suggesting that progress is gathering pace. (Singularity Hub)
August 10, 2023
CSU to build one of the world’s most powerful lasers to study elusive nuclear fusion energy
If world scientists confirm recent breakthroughs in a 90-year effort to harness nuclear fusion for limitless clean energy, key revelations in the quest may very well come from a laser lab at Colorado State University. (Colorado Sun)
August 10, 2023
US Scientists Repeat Fusion Ignition Breakthrough
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for a second time, repeats milestone fusion experiment that produces more energy than it consumes. (Silicon UK)
August 10, 2023
US Scientists Achieve Second Net Energy Gain in Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
n a significant step forward for the field of nuclear fusion, US scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have achieved a second instance of net energy gain in a fusion reaction, with an even higher energy yield. (The Deep Dive)
August 10, 2023
Scientists Produce Fusion Reaction With Net Gain In Energy. What It Means
The lab accomplished a fusion ignition breakthrough at its National Ignition Facility that delivered a higher yield than a previous breakthrough. (NDTV)
August 10, 2023
The Future of Space Exploration: Pulsar Fusion’s Nuclear Fusion-Powered Rockets on the Horizon
It is worth mentioning that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility has had success in repeating nuclear fusion processes, with the second attempt yielding even higher net energy gains than the first, bringing us closer to the reality of limitless energy. (Intelligent Living)
August 10, 2023
Rep. Beyer Welcomes Latest Fusion Achievement
U. S. Rep. Don Beyer of Falls Church, founder and chair of the bipartisan Fusion Energy Caucus in the U.S. House, issued a statement this week welcoming the announced replication of December’s first-ever human-controlled fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Falls Church News-Press)
August 9, 2023
Scientists Repeat Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough in a Step Toward More Clean Energy
California researchers have successfully completed a nuclear fusion reaction that achieved “ignition”—or yielded more energy than was put into it—for only the second time in history, report Tom Wilson and Alice Hancock for the Financial Times. With this feat, the team has repeated their breakthrough results from an experiment in December. (Smithsonian Magazine)
August 9, 2023
NIF Achieves Ignition Again Greater Energy Returned
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have reportedly duplicated last December’s historic experiment in which the huge National Ignition Facility laser ignited a small capsule of fusion fuel, generating 50% more energy in the ensuing explosion than was needed to trigger it. (The Independent)
August 9, 2023
Superconductor and Nuclear Fusion Breakthroughs Could Revolutionize Physics
The last week of July heralded not one but two scientific breakthroughs that have left the academic community abuzz and may bring us one step closer to the holy grail of fusion energy. (Newsweek)
August 9, 2023
Lawrence Livermore Repeats Fusion Energy Breakthrough
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were able to replicate a fusion reaction, with a higher energy yield than before. (Patch)
August 9, 2023
General Fusion delays U.K. demonstration plant to focus on Canadian project
Enthusiasm for the technology has grown steeply since last December when the National Ignition Facility, a laser-powered experiment developed by the U.S. government near Livermore, Calif., trigged a fusion reaction in a small target pellet that exceeded the breakeven threshold for the first time. (The Globe and Mail)
August 9, 2023
Remarkable: For the Second Time, U.S. Scientists Have Achieved Fusion Ignition
And the results are even more spectacular. (Popular Mechanics)
August 9, 2023
Marvel, CSU to build laser fusion facility; groups call on NRC to finalize reactor rules
Separately, physicists and engineers at the U.S. National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction for the second time since the first breakthrough in December, according to preliminary results, a spokesperson at the LLNL told Reuters Events Nuclear. (Reuters Events Nuclear)
August 9, 2023
US lab repeats nuclear fusion feat, with higher yield
US scientists responsible for a historic nuclear fusion breakthrough say they have repeated the feat — this time achieving a greater yield of energy. (Daily Sun)
August 9, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion ignition breakthrough for second time
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory say that they generated energy using nuclear fusion, and in higher amounts than achieved last December. (The Weather Network)
August 9, 2023
Colorado State University, German company partner on cutting-edge fusion energy project
Colorado State University and a German technology company are teaming up on what is expected to be one of the most powerful laser facilities in the world and a major step in the quest to commercialize fusion energy, long seen as a potential source of carbon-free power. (Miami Herald)
August 9, 2023
2nd nuclear fusion breakthrough brings us a (tiny) step closer to limitless clean energy
The breakthrough marks the second time that the core of a fusion reactor has given out more energy than it has taken in, but significant challenges remain. (Live Science)
August 9, 2023
US Scientists Just Repeated A Game-Changing Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
Toward the end of last year, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced that scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) had achieved a major scientific breakthrough involving fusion ignition. Now, that remarkable breakthrough has been replicated again, but with a higher energy yield, according to an LLNL spokesperson. (Hot Hardware)
August 8, 2023
Scientists Successfully Replicate Fusion Ignition Breakthrough
Reuters reports that researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have successfully repeated their breakthrough fusion power experiment. (Southern Illinoisan)
August 8, 2023
Livermore Lab scientists achieve fusion ignition for second time
The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has recently repeated scientific energy breakeven after initially doing so for the first time in history back in December, lab officials have confirmed. (Pleasanton Weekly)
August 8, 2023
Colorado State University, German company partner on cutting-edge fusion energy project
The most important breakthrough occurred in 2022 at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. (Denver Post)
August 8, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion breakthrough for a second time
US scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December last year, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday. (Taipei Times)
August 8, 2023
US scientists trying to harness the power of the sun have made a 2nd major breakthrough for the future of sustainable, green energy
In a second successful experiment, US scientists say they produced a nuclear fusion reaction that yields more energy than they put into it. (Business Insider)
August 8, 2023
The nuclear fusion era has arrived, if we choose it
The National Ignition Facility just repeated, and improved upon, their earlier demonstration of nuclear fusion. Now, the true race begins. (The Big Think)
August 8, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion ignition, recreate process that powers the Sun
US scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December 2022. (India Today)
August 8, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion ignition breakthrough
US scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory says. (The Star)
August 8, 2023
Scientists achieve net energy gain breakthrough with nuclear fusion for a second time
The lab achieved a fusion ignition breakthrough at its National Ignition Facility on 30 July that produced a higher yield than a previous breakthrough. (Power Technology)
August 8, 2023
US lab’s nuclear fusion feat gets higher yield in renewed attempt
WASHINGTON: US scientists responsible for a historic nuclear fusion breakthrough say they have repeated the feat, this time achieving a greater yield of energy. (Dawn)
August 8, 2023
LLNL researchers achieve fusion ignition for second time
Researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have reportedly achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time.
(World Nuclear News)
August 7, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion ignition breakthrough for 2nd time
U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday. (Reuters)
August 7, 2023
The Nuclear Fusion Energy Breakthrough, Explained
Some of the world’s richest investors have piled into startups targeting one of the biggest and toughest challenges in science: nuclear fusion. (Bloomberg News)
August 7, 2023
German fusion start-up joins with US university to build laser facility
Interest in the approach has increased since scientists at the US government-run National Ignition Facility used the world’s largest laser to achieve a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time in December. (Financial Times)
August 7, 2023
U.S. researchers duplicate a nuclear fusion feat
Scientists at the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said they had again managed to achieve net gain in a fusion reaction — meaning that it yielded more energy than it consumed — but managed to get even more power out this time. (New York Times Dealbook)
August 7, 2023
US scientists achieve net energy gain in fusion reaction for second time
Scientists in the United States have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December in efforts to find a clean source of energy, according to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (Al Jazeera)
August 7, 2023
Video — Nuclear fusion breakthrough: Bay Area lab takes big step in creating clean energy
A Bay Area lab has taken a big step toward creating what some believe is the holy grail of clean energy. Scott Budman reports. (NBC Bay Area)
August 7, 2023
Livermore lab achieves net positive fusion reaction
The Bay Area continues to press forward at the forefront of scientific innovation. (San Francisco Daily Journal)
August 7, 2023
Scientists achieve world-changing nuclear fusion breakthrough — twice
American scientists have for the first time managed to reach — and then improve on — a longtime goal of nuclear research. (New York Post)
August 7, 2023
Energy Department gets energy gain from nuclear fusion for the second time
Scientists with the Department of Energy were recently able to achieve a net energy gain from a nuclear fusion reaction for the second time, the department said Monday. (The Hill)
August 7, 2023
U.S. scientists able to repeat breakthrough fusion experiment that could unlock key to boundless, clean energy
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory successfully replicated a breakthrough nuclear fusion experiment that could lead to a clean, safe and nearly limitless future energy source. (Deseret News)
August 7, 2023
Scientists achieve nuclear fusion breakthrough for a second time
Laboratory results prove that the ‘clean energy’ experiment was not a one-off — but some critics doubt the technology. (The Daily Telegraph)
August 7, 2023
Nuclear fusion milestone achieved in huge boost for near-limitless clean energy
Scientists have achieved a net energy gain in nuclear fusion for the second time, marking major progress towards realising the potential of the near-limitless energy source. (The Independent)
August 7, 2023
Lawrence Livermore lab repeats fusion breakthrough – yep, still kinda works
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have repeated their breakthrough fusion experiment, which nominally produced more energy than it consumed. (The Register)
August 7, 2023
US lab behind fusion breakthrough reaches ignition again
The US government lab that last year reached a long-sought milestone in nuclear fusion — achieving a controlled reaction that yielded more energy than it took to produce — has repeated the achievement, after months of near-misses. (South China Morning Post)
August 7, 2023
Scientists Successfully Replicate Fusion Ignition Breakthrough
euters reports that researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have successfully repeated their breakthrough fusion power experiment. (KPVI)
August 7, 2023
Fusion power breakthrough repeated in California lab for second time
US scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December last year, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday. (Brisbane Times)
August 7, 2023
Can carbon dioxide removal really help save us from ‘global boiling’?
Separately, but remaining on the subject of innovation in the name of survival, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have achieved “ignition” in a fusion-energy experiment for the second time—the first success came in December. (Fortune)
August 7, 2023
Nuclear fusion breakthrough: Is cheap, clean energy finally here?
A breakthrough fusion experiment has produced a net gain in energy for only the second time ever and with improved performance over the first successful attempt. (NewScientist)
August 7, 2023
Nuclear Fusion Scientists Successfully Recreate Net Energy Gain
While the scientific community has been recently focused on the feasibility of an alleged room-temperature semiconductor, U.S. scientists revealed this week that they have successfully recreated a pivotal fusion experiment. (Gizmodo)
August 7, 2023
Physicists achieve fusion with net energy gain for second time
US government scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time, a result that is set to fuel optimism that progress is being made toward the dream of limitless, zero-carbon power. (Ars Technica)
August 7, 2023
Those nuclear fusion scientists are at it again
After reporting a successful nuclear fusion reaction in December, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Library have now improved on their success. (The Verge)
August 7, 2023
NIF Scientists Claim Repeat Fusion Breakthrough
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have reportedly advanced last December’s laser fusion breakthrough result. (Photonics Media)
August 7, 2023
Plot Of Spider-Man 2 Coming To Life As Scientists Have Another Fusion Breakthrough
Here’s to hoping nuclear fusion goes better in real life than it does in the movies. (GameSpot)
August 7, 2023
US uses lasers to achieve fusion energy gain for second time
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have successfully repeated the breakthrough experiment in nuclear fusion performed in December last year, Reuters reported.
(Interesting Engineering)
August 7, 2023
U.S. lab behind fusion breakthrough reaches ignition again
The U.S. government lab that last year reached a long-sought milestone in nuclear fusion — achieving a controlled reaction that yielded more energy than it took to produce — has repeated the achievement, after months of near-misses. (The Japan Times)
August 7, 2023
Landmark Controlled Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Achieved Again By US
If reports are confirmed, it got more energy out than last time. (IFL Science)
August 7, 2023
US Scientists Achieve Second Net Energy Gain in Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December last year, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday. (Transcontinental Times)
August 7, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion power breakthrough for 2nd time
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility achieves significant milestone in the pursuit of clean and limitless energy. (The Hindu)
August 7, 2023
US Scientists Repeat Landmark Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
A significant breakthrough in nuclear fusion, with the potential to combat climate change, has been achieved for the second time. The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has successfully achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction. (EnergyPortal.eu)
August 7, 2023
U.S. scientists achieve second attempt at nuclear fusion breakthrough
U.S. scientists announced a key energy feat being repeated at their lab, producing more energy than was used in a nuclear fusion reaction, American media reported on Sunday. (i24 News)
August 7, 2023
U.S. scientists achieve second attempt at nuclear fusion breakthrough
They did it again. Scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory again managed to get a net gain in energy From one nuclear fusion reaction. (Italy 24 News)
August 7, 2023
US Scientists Achieve Net Energy Gain In Fusion Ignition For Second Time
US scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have made a significant breakthrough in fusion energy, achieving net energy gain for the second time since December. (Swarajya)
August 7, 2023
Fusion Breakthrough Moves US Closer to New Power Stations
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California say they've achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction for a second time — but this time with a higher energy yield, the Financial Times reported. (NewsMax)
August 6, 2023
US Lab Behind Fusion Breakthrough Reaches Ignition Again
The US government lab that last year reached a long-sought milestone in nuclear fusion — achieving a controlled reaction that yielded more energy than it took to produce — has repeated the achievement, after months of near-misses. (Bloomberg News)
August 6, 2023
U.S. lab says it repeated fusion energy feat — with higher yield
A group of U.S. scientists say they have repeated their landmark energy feat — a nuclear fusion reaction that produces more energy than is put into it. But this time, they say the experiment produced an even higher energy yield than one in December that got international attention for making a major step forward toward the long elusive goal of producing energy through fusion. (Washington Post)
August 6, 2023
Livermore lab achieves net positive fusion reaction
The Bay Area continues to press forward at the forefront of scientific innovation. (NBC Bay Area)
August 6, 2023
US scientists achieve net energy gain for second time in nuclear fusion reaction
US scientists have achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction for the second time since a historic breakthrough in December last year in the quest to find a near-limitless, safe and clean source of energy. (The Guardian)
August 6, 2023
U.S. scientists hit new fusion energy milestone
U.S. scientists at the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced Sunday that they achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction for a second time — this time with a higher energy yield. (Axios)
August 6, 2023
Faith and fusion: Annie Kritcher makes clean energy breakthrough
Andrea “Annie” Kritcher designed an experiment that enables scientists to produce energy from nuclear fusion, which could result in a clean, limitless source of energy for the planet. (Traverse City Record Eagle)
August 6, 2023
Report: Scientists at Top California Lab Repeat Fusion Success at Greater Output
U.S. government scientists in California have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. (Times of San Diego)
August 6, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion ignition breakthrough
US scientists have achieved net energy gain in a nuclear fusion reaction for the second time since last December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory says. (The Maitland Mercury)
August 6, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion ignition breakthrough for 2nd time
U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
August 6, 2023
US scientists repeat fusion power breakthrough
US government scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time, a result that is set to fuel optimism that progress is being made towards the dream of limitless, zero-carbon power. (Financial Times)
August 5, 2023
ITER fiasco will accelerate the progress of fusion
Naturally, investor enthusiasm has been further encouraged by the reported achievement, in December 2022 of “scientific breakeven” in laser fusion experiments at the US National Ignition Facility. Although this achievement constitutes more a milestone than a real breakthrough, it has transformed the public perception of fusion, conveying a sense that fusion power is in the process of becoming a concrete reality rather than a mere remote possibility. (Asia Times)
August 4, 2023
Liquid Target Brings Fresh Twist to Inertial Fusion
Last December, when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved a net energy gain—or ignition—in a fusion reactor, champagne was practically uncorked.
(IEEE Spectrum)
August 3, 2023
First Light Fusion working on medical isotopes
UK-based First Light is aiming to identify potential pharmaceutical applications of its unique projectile fusion reactor process that uses inertial confinement. This is the same method used by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to demonstrate energy gain from fusion late last year. (Nuclear Engineering International)
August 3, 2023
Fusion Is Having a Moment
As Earth’s inhabitants suffer through what may wind up being the hottest year on record, there’s a Promethean spark of hope. (IEEE Spectrum)
August 2, 2023
US backs Sydney fusion start-up’s nuclear ambitions
The US Department of Energy has backed plans by the Australian start-up HB11 Energy to build nuclear power plants that could one day supply the world with near-limitless, radiation-free nuclear energy.
(The Australian Financial Review)
August 2, 2023
What if room temperature superconductors were real?
For decades, there have been claims that researchers have created room-temperature superconductors. The materials promise to conduct an electric current with zero resistance while throwing off powerful magnetic fields. (TechCrunch+)
August 1, 2023
Blue Laser Fusion claims $25M seed round
Blue Laser Fusion (BLF), a startup firm in Palo Alto, California, says it has raised $25 million in an initial round of seed funding supporting its particular approach to laser-based fusion. (Optics.org)
July 31, 2023
Nuclear Fusion Engine Designed to Speed Space Flight Starts Construction
British aerospace startup Pulsar Fusion aims to speed up space travel with its fusion-powered rocket engine, which recently started construction in the U.K. (EE Power)
July 28, 2023
What’s new with laser fusion?
The push to commercialise fusion energy is stronger than ever. Since December 2022, when scientists made a breakthrough by achieving fusion ignition using lasers at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, it seems that fusion is the word on everyone’s mind. (Electro Optics)
July 27, 2023
How AI Is Powering the Future of Clean Energy
New ‘I AM AI’ video highlights how NVIDIA and its partners help manage renewable energy at scale using the latest technologies. (Nvidia)
July 26, 2023
Lightning as an energy harvesting source?
We’re always looking to harvest energy from diverse, nominally &ldsquo;free” sources such as wind, water, solar, and even less-dense possibilities such as vibration and friction. (EDN)
July 26, 2023
Nobel laureate to build rapid-fire laser-powered nuclear fusion reactor by 2030
Shuji Nakamura’s company is looking at boron instead of deuterium as a fuel for its fusion reactors as the former, when used as a fuel, does not produce harmful neutrons. (Interesting Engineering)
July 24, 2023
Data Science Challenge offers Students Learning and Growth Opportunities
About 20 UC Merced students spent the past two weeks working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to see if they can solve a problem that could have a significant impact on cardiology. (UC Merced Newsroom)
July 19, 2023
Using Lasers for a More Sustainable World
How closely laser technology is linked to basic research was demonstrated at the World of Photonics Congress. Dr. Tammy Ma from the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Prof. Constantin Häfner, the director of Fraunhofer ILT, spoke there in the Plenary Talk about the potential of laser-driven inertial fusion. (Novus Light)
July 18, 2023
University of Rochester aims for mass production of inertial fusion energy targets
Proponents of inertial fusion energy celebrated in December 2022, when researchers at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved fusion ignition by subjecting a carefully crafted diamond cryogenic sphere containing frozen deuterium-tritium fuel to NIF’s laser energy. (Nuclear News)
July 18, 2023
Scientists Behind Fusion Milestone Near Repeat in Recent Test
The scientists behind last year’s nuclear fusion breakthrough, which raised the possibility of an abundant and clean future energy source, have not yet been able to duplicate their historic achievement. But they’re close. (Bloomberg News)
July 17, 2023
Falling Farther Behind
Even more promising in the long term, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) became the first to create fusion ignition that produced more energy than the experiment used, a first, tiny step toward nearly endless, safe, clean power. (The Northern Express)
July 17, 2023
Regulating radioactive materials: The ‘what, who, and how’s innovation
The U.S. Department of Energy laboratories are working on scientific breakthroughs, such as the net energy gain achieved at the National Ignition Facility in California late last year. (Innovation News Network)
July 17, 2023
How to Produce Green Energy? Exploring 5 Initiatives for a Sustainable Future
While Europe has been a hotspot for these initiatives, a significant breakthrough last winter has recently emerged from the United States. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility in California (LLNL) has achieved a remarkable milestone, producing 1.5 times more energy than required for the fusion reaction. (DirectIndustry E-Magazine)
July 17, 2023
Nuclear Notebook: French nuclear weapons, 2023
The Megajoule laser, France’s equivalent to the US National Ignition Facility, is located at the same site.
(Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)
July 14, 2023
Senate’s defense policy bill boosts nuke spending, funds sea-launched cruise missile warhead
Inertial confinement fusion, the catchall for high-energy experiments performed at National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California, the Z-Machine at Sandia National Laboratories and elsewhere got an additional $40 million to $641 million in the committee’s bill, up from $601 million in the fiscal 2024 reques (Exchange Monitor)
July 14, 2023
New technique may help achieve mass production fusion energy
Fusion, which replicates the same reaction that powers the sun, has long been viewed as an ideal energy source due to its potential to be safe, clean, cheap, and reliable. (Phys.org)
July 14, 2023
LLNL Research Teams Receive Department of Defense Awards
The multidisciplinary N210808 Team was honored for an experiment at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility in December 2022 that for the first time produced more energy from a fusion reaction than the energy needed to spark the reaction, a condition known as ignition. (The Independent)
July 13, 2023
Business Magazine Honors LLNL Director for Creativity
Fast Company, a monthly business magazine, has named Lawerence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Kim Budil one of the Most Creative People in Business for 2023 for “leading the team that achieved nuclear fusion ignition.” (The Independent)
July 13, 2023
Can nuclear power save the world?
Podcast: Supporters say nuclear power is the key to meeting our energy needs and beating climate change. Critics say it’s expensive and dangerous. Does nuclear have a role to play in our energy future? (MarketWatch)
July 13, 2023
Embracing nuclear energy in a clean energy landscape
The research on fusion reactors is receiving significant attention from the United States as well as its large laser facility called the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California. (ESI Africa)
July 13, 2023
Laser fusion reactors could make their own fuel pellets in a flash
As the question of how to make a laser fusion reactor practical rises, scientists at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) have come up with a way for fusion lasers to essentially manufacture their own fuel pellets. (New Atlas)
July 11, 2023
Pulsar Fusion plans 500,000 mph nuclear rocket
Ambitious UK aerospace company Pulsar Fusion has revealed plans to build a nuclear fusion rocket engine capable of producing temperatures hotter than the Sun. (The Engineer)
July 11, 2023
Photosynthesis is nearly 100% efficient. A quantum experiment shows why
All biological systems are wildly disordered. Yet somehow, that disorder enables plant photosynthesis to be nearly 100% efficient. (Big Think)
July 11, 2023
Summer school focuses on nuclear physics
Additionally, the conference will cover topics such as the recent nuclear fusion breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, nuclear security, and nuclear medicine. (Inside UC Riverside)
July 10, 2023
New method may help pave way for fusion power plants
Researchers have experimentally demonstrated dynamic shell formation for the first time. (Futurity)
July 7, 2023
A Career in Laser Safety
Ken Barat is an award-winning laser safety consultant based in Arizona, USA. (Optics and Photonics News )
July 6, 2023
Can the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory maintain its lead in fusion research?
Following the first successful break-even fusion ignition reaction ever conducted in a lab, the LLNL will need to secure additional funding, director Kim Budil says. (Fast Company)
July 6, 2023
Growing Simple Crystals For Non-Linear Optics Experiments
None of this is magic, of course. Rather, as optics aficionado [Les Wright] explains, non-linear optics is all about physics. Big physics, too, like the kind that made the National Ignition Facility the first fusion research outfit to reach the “break-even” point, at least in terms of optical energy. (Hackaday)
July 4, 2023
Avelino Corma, European inventor of the year:
‘Controlling nuclear fusion would be a giant step towards the future, but it’s always thirty years away.’ (El País)
June 30, 2023
A Future Fueled by Fusion: Understanding the Progress in Fusion Energy
A future fueled by fusion energy is no longer a distant dream, as researchers and scientists around the world are making significant progress in understanding and harnessing this powerful form of energy.
(The Spy Who Billed Me)
June 29, 2023
China beats the drum for faster fusion energy results
China’s government is urging the nation’s fusion energy physicists to redouble and accelerate their efforts in view of recent key breakthroughs in the field made by US and Japanese scientists. (Asia Times)
June 29, 2023
Welcome to Fusion City, USA
In Everett, WA, nuclear fusion is no longer 10 years away—although profitability might be. (IEEE Spectrum)
June 29, 2023
High hopes for fusion
Microsoft has signed a PPA for fusion power. Is this a serious proposition? (Data Center Dynamics)
June 28, 2023
Focused Energy raises funds to advance laser fusion
The company’s approach is based on the method developed at the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which in December 2022 produced the first net energy gain from nuclear fusion.
(Nuclear Engineering International)
June 27, 2023
The Latest Breakthroughs in Micro-Scale Nuclear Fusion Research
The latest breakthroughs in micro-scale nuclear fusion research have generated significant excitement in the scientific community, as they promise to revolutionize the way we generate energy and potentially solve the world’s energy crisis. (EnergyPortal.au)
June 26, 2023
NT-Tao seeks to generate nuclear fusion with compact reactors
Viewed as a holy grail, fusion is attracting billions in investment and will be a prominent topic at the COP28 climate conference in the UAE this coming fall. (The Circuit)
June 23, 2023
Climate Change is an Energy Problem. Here’s How We Solve It
Preventing environmental collapse won’t be easy, but we can still squeeze through the bottleneck.
(University of California News)
June 22, 2023
Focused Energy Raises Additional $11M in Series A Funding
Focused Energy, an Austin, TX and Darmstadt, Germany-based laser-based fusion startup, raised additional $11M in Series A funding. (FimSMEs)
June 22, 2023
Will Microsoft Get Its Electricity Made from Helion’s Nuclear Fusion Plant?
Microsoft inked a deal to buy electricity from Helion Energy’s fusion nuclear plant starting in 2028.
(Environment + Energy Leader)
June 22, 2023
Is Nuclear Fusion Power Still 30 Years Away?
Nuclear fusion, a once far-off futuristic seeming power source that has captivated the imaginations of scientists for decades, appears to finally be edging closer to commercial viability as investors are eye the sector with renewed interest in recent months. (Business 2 Community)
June 21, 2023
With $10T on the line, 6 fusion investors explain why they’re all in
Fusion power could be considered the quintessential venture capital bet: It’s expensive and risky, but the potential rewards are enormous. (TechCrunch)
June 20, 2023
National Lab Supports Science Education as Well as Innovation
Last December, a team at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history to achieve fusion ignition, which is also known as scientific energy breakeven. (Hacienda Pulse)
June 19, 2023
Austin-based company attempts to design fusion power plant in Texas
The path to clean energy is becoming clear in Texas. (KXAN)
June 19, 2023
Aussie startup HB11 Energy’s research celebrated in global laser fusion journal
The work of Australian laser fusion energy company HB11 Energy has been celebrated in a Special Issues edition of the Laser and Particle Beams journal, showcasing research from a newly-formed HB11 Energy-led consortium of the world’s most advanced laser fusion researchers. (Eco Voice)
June 18, 2023
A New Frontier in Energy Production: Micro-Scale Nuclear Fusion
A new frontier in energy production is emerging, one that could potentially revolutionize the way we power our world: micro-scale nuclear fusion. (EnergyPortal.eu)
June 17, 2023
From Science Fiction to Reality: The Journey of Micro-Scale Nuclear Fusion
For decades, nuclear fusion has been the holy grail of energy production, promising virtually limitless, clean power. (EnergyPortal.eu)
June 16, 2023
Plasma Physics: The Core Science Behind Nuclear Fusion
Plasma physics is the core science behind nuclear fusion, the process that powers the sun and holds the potential to provide a nearly limitless, clean, and safe source of energy for the future. (EnergyPortal.eu)
June 15, 2023
Opinion: Our fusion moment has arrived. We can’t afford to let it pass
The House Science Energy Subcommittee hearing on fusion that I chaired this week made it clear that the process that our sun and stars use to generate energy is finally within our grasp — progressing from a scientific experiment to commercial reality. A timeless pursuit, mankind has long sought the ability to capture unlimited, clean sources of energy to power our world. (The Hill)
June 15, 2023
All possible worlds
When I was in my mid-30s, I was faced with a difficult decision. It had repercussions for years, and at times the choice I made filled me with regret. I had two job offers. One was to work at a very large physics experiment on the West Coast of the United States called the National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Aeon)
June 14, 2023
Nuclear Fusion: Journey to Ignition
In December 2022, the LLNI facility achieved a major milestone in laser nuclear fusion by producing more energy than was spent in reaching fusion. (Viva Technology)
June 13, 2023
A fusion of East and West can power the world’s future energy needs
The mighty firm Microsoft has just made an astonishing bet that sustainable nuclear fusion power generation may be much closer to realization than most people think. (Energy Central News)
June 12, 2023
Companies Partner on A.I., Fusion Energy for Space Flight
A developer of fusion energy for space travel and software company for space flight systems are writing machine learning algorithms to design a hyper-fast rocket engine. (Science & Enterprise)
June 9, 2023
Climate Change is an Energy Problem. Here’s How We Solve It
Preventing environmental collapse won’t be easy, but we can still squeeze through the bottleneck.
(California Magazine)
June 9, 2023
Inertial Confinement Fusion: A Step Towards Energy Revolution
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) has long been considered a promising approach to harnessing the power of nuclear fusion, the same process that fuels the sun. (EnergyPortal.eu)
June 8, 2023
Commonwealth Fusion has raised $2 billion to make energy like the sun and stars — here’s a look inside
Commonwealth Fusion Systems CEO Bob Mumgaard is a student of the history of technology. “If you go and you look at what fusion looks like today, you say, ‘Oh this feels kind of like flight in 1918,’ ” Mumgaard told CNBC in a recent video interview. (CNBC)
June 7, 2023
What Is the Future of Fusion Energy?
Last December physicists working on fusion claimed a breakthrough. A team at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California announced it had extracted more energy from a controlled nuclear fusion reaction than had been used to trigger it. (World News Era)
June 6, 2023
DOE Launches Inertial Fusion Energy Program After Ignition Breakthrough
Following Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s fusion breakthrough last year, DOE is creating new research hubs to stimulate advances in inertial fusion energy and is funding a pair of companies developing inertial fusion reactor concepts through a separate program dedicated to nurturing the nascent fusion industry.
(FYI: Science Policy News)
June 6, 2023
Powering the Future: Innovations in Nuclear Fusion
Harnessing the Sun: Breakthroughs in Nuclear Fusion Technology. (EnergyPortal.eu)
June 6, 2023
What Is the Future of Fusion Energy?
Last December physicists working on fusion claimed a breakthrough. A team at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California announced it had extracted more energy from a controlled nuclear fusion reaction than had been used to trigger it. (Kowatek)
June 5, 2023
San Diego Company Forges Partnership to Advance Nuclear Fusion
San Diego-based energy corporation General Atomics has announced a partnership with Tokamak Energy, one of a growing number of private companies seeking to tap the vast but so far elusive potential of nuclear fusion. (Government Technology)
June 4, 2023
DOE awarding $46M to 8 companies to support commercial fusion energy development
The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced $46 million in funding (DE-FOA-0002809) to eight companies advancing designs and research and development for fusion power plants. (Green Car Congress)
June 2, 2023
A step closer to making nuclear fusion a reality? San Diego’s General Atomics partners with UK company
San Diego-based energy and defense corporation General Atomics has announced a partnership with Tokamak Energy, one of a growing number of private companies seeking to tap the vast but so far elusive potential of nuclear fusion as a practical source of clean energy. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
June 2, 2023
U.S. DOE Announces Funding for Eight Fusion Science Companies
Eight companies developing approaches to fusion energy will receive funding from the Energy Act of 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week. (Photonics Media)
June 2, 2023
Wrap up: Hammer Time at the NIF
Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and National Nuclear Security Administration head Jill Hruby are too legit to quit. In mid-May, the pair hosted former rapper and “science enthusiast” MC Hammer at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore California. (Exchange Monitor)
June 2, 2023
U.S. DOE Announces Funding for Eight Fusion Science Companies
The University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) is an integral part of a new groundbreaking project in the field of laser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF), as part of a team collaborating with Xcimer Energy Inc., a private company dedicated to developing abundant and carbon-free fusion energy.
(University of Rochester News Center)
June 1, 2023
What Is the Future of Fusion Energy?
Last December physicists working on fusion claimed a breakthrough. A team at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California announced it had extracted more energy from a controlled nuclear fusion reaction than had been used to trigger it. (Scientific American)
June 1, 2023
Laser fusion startups win US Department of Energy backing
Two startup companies working on laser-driven approaches to fusion energy have won significant financial support in a round of funding just announced by the US Department of Energy (DOE). (Optics.org)
June 1, 2023
Foundations Of Stellar Physics And Nuclear Fusion Investigated
Research using the world’s most energetic laser has shed light on the properties of highly compressed matter — essential to understanding the structure of giant planets and stars, and to develop controlled nuclear fusion, a process that could harvest carbon-free energy. (SpaceRef)
June 1, 2023
ESG Focus: The Science And Propects of Fusion
Last December, the United States government-funded National Ignition Facility announced it had broken fusion ground — generating more energy from the nuclei than was injected via laser. A mini media storm ensued. (FN Arena)
June 1, 2023
USA Grants $46MM for Commercial Fusion Development
In a key step toward a pioneering development, the USA government announced Wednesday $46 million in funding for companies seeking to bring about fusion energy plants. This comes five months after the country announced a breakthrough in nuclear fusion research decades in the making. (Rigzone)
June 2023
Fusion’s Direct Drive
An underdog laser scheme may be best placed to deliver competitive fusion energy.
(Optics and Photonics News)
May 31, 2023
Zap Energy lands $5M federal grant and ‘vote of confidence’ in pursuit of fusion
The Seattle area’s Zap Energy will receive $5 million from a newly launched federal program supporting the commercial development of fusion power. (GeekWire)
May 31, 2023
Under pressure: Foundations of stellar physics and nuclear fusion investigated
Research using the world’s most energetic laser has shed light on the properties of highly compressed matter — essential to understanding the structure of giant planets and stars, and to develop controlled nuclear fusion, a process that could harvest carbon-free energy. (ScienceDaily)
May 30, 2023
First Light Fusion secures grant for ambitious five-year program
First Light”s inertial confinement approach to fusion method leverages the same physics proven by the US National Ignition Facility (NIF), at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
(Nuclear Engineering International Magazine)
May 30, 2023
Fusion demo operational in Germany around 2045 – expert commission
Germany needs more ambition on the way to a fusion power plant and should take advantage of recent fusion breakthroughs, says the commission.
(Power Engineering International)
May 28, 2023
What the Fusion Ignition Breakthrough Really Means for Energy
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory passed a major fusion milestone in December, using 192 lasers to ignite a fusion reaction that produced more energy than was used to trigger it. The surge lasted only for a fleeting moment, but its implications are lasting a lot longer. (CNET)
May 28, 2023
Video: How This Lab Produced a Historic Nuclear Fusion Reaction
(CNET)
May 27, 2023
Congressional Research Service Issues In Focus White Paper on Fusion Energy
The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12411) on fusion energy on May 24, 2023, by Daniel Morgan, science and technology policy specialist. (InsuranceNews.net)
May 26, 2023
When You Think About the High-Tech Future, Put Nuclear Fusion at the Front of the Line
I”ve long said we are under-utilizing nuclear energy. This shouldn”t be controversial; nuclear has something for everyone. (Equities.com)
May 25, 2023
Build Communication Skills For A Successful Career, Says Top Science Influencer
Nuclear physicist Annie Kritcher recalls pursuing a career in math and science because it “gave me a voice.” Today, Kritcher uses her voice—and specialized skill—to lead revolutionary experiments in nuclear fusion, a potential milestone on the path to a clean-energy future. (Forbes)
May 25, 2023
Let’s Talk Exascale: Siting the El Capitan Exascale Supercomputer at LLNL
In the latest episode of the Let’s Talk Exascale Podcast, Scott Gibson speaks with Bronis R. de Supinski about El Capitan, LLNL’s upcoming exascale-class supercomputer. (HPC Wire)
May 24, 2023
Podcast: Tammy Ma: Fusion Ignition and Beyond
Tammy Ma, a plasma physicist at Livermore and a leader among the inertial fusion ignition team, talks about how supercomputing supported that achievement. Tammy also leads the lab’s Inertial Fusion Energy Initiative. (Science in Parallel)
May 24, 2023
Podcast: Japan’s up for fusion — just don’t call it ‘nuclear’
The Japanese government has set out guidelines in an effort to encourage more private sector research and funding in the field of fusion, and it has omitted a key word, “nuclear,” for fear of frightening a nuclear-wary population. (The Japan Times)
May 22, 2023
Fusion Q&A: The Path Forward
Fusion energy could address pollution, climate change, and high energy prices. Berkeley Lab’s Cameron Geddes and Reed Teyber explain how researchers are trying to make it a reality. (Berkeley Lab News Center)
May 22, 2023
Granholm talks nuclear and other energy issues with WSJ
Secretary of energy Jennifer Granholm recently discussed the future of clean energy with Christopher M. Matthews, the U.S. energy editor for the Wall Street Journal. (Nuclear News)
May 22, 2023
Model Devised to Study Vortex Rings in Nuclear Fusion
The model formed by scientists at the University of Michigan could help in the development of the fuel capsule, which reduces the energy lost while attempting to kickstart the reaction that underpins how stars emit light. (AZO Quantum)
May 20, 2023
Demystifying Vortex Rings in Nuclear Fusion, Supernovae
Better understanding the formation of swirling, ring-shaped disturbances—known as vortex rings—could help nuclear fusion researchers compress fuel more efficiently, bringing it closer to becoming a viable energy source. (Mirage News)
May 21, 2023
5 potential paths to a fusion energy breakthrough
Dozens of companies are racing to deliver electricity from fusion — a form of carbon-free electricity often compared to a “star in a bottle.” (The Hill)
May 19, 2023
What is nuclear fusion? The science — and the latest news on it — explained
“If we want to take this forward, public-private partnerships are going to be essential.” These were the words of nuclear scientist and Director of the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Kim Budil, back in January 2023 at Davos a month after her team had made a crucial breakthrough in nuclear fusion — achieving a “net energy gain” in a step towards a cleaner energy future. (World Economic Forum)
May 19, 2023
Blame it on Altman: Microsoft Makes Risky Bet on Nuclear Fusion
Last week, Microsoft made the unlikeliest bet — the tech giant has signed on the dotted line to purchase electricity from a nuclear fusion generator. (Analytics India Magazine)
May 18, 2023
Consortium Of Japanese Companies To Back Promising Fusion Startup
16 companies in Japan, including Mitsubishi Corp., Kansai Electric Power Co. and one government affiliated fund, are readying a $73.6 million investment in a startup working to commercialize fusion power. (OilPrice.com)
May 17, 2023
First nuclear fusion plants to need $7 billion supply chain, survey shows
Companies looking to harness the process that powers the sun and stars to generate electricity expect to spend about $7 billion by the time their first nuclear fusion plants come online, a survey published on Wednesday said.. (Reuters)
May 17, 2023
With Change Comes Choice — And Choices
In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr said, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” — or “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” (Forbes)
May 17, 2023
America saw the consequences of a failing electrical grid. What does a sustainable future look like?
And a massive breakthrough last year has put renewed momentum behind nuclear — and specifically nuclear fusion — as the future of energy. (High Plains Public Radio)
May 17, 2023
Microsoft’s big bet on helium-3 fusion explained
Magnets, not lasers, could be secret to endless power (if it actually works). (The Register)
May 17, 2023
Pulse power and transient loads: a very different world
“Pulse power” has received a lot of attention and mass-media exposure recently, as demonstrated by the dramatic example in December 2022. (EDN)
May 16, 2023
Mitsubishi Corp., others make $73.6m bet on fusion power in Japan
The technology is moving toward commercialization, possibly in the 2030s. The National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in the U.S. announced in December 2022 that it had succeeded in creating a fusion reaction that produced more energy than it consumed. (Nikkei Asia)
May 16, 2023
Helion announces first fusion energy purchase agreement with Microsoft
The only facility so far to achieve this the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using a laser-based fusion system. (Nuclear Engineering International)
May 16, 2023
DOE Celebrates NIF Ignition by Funding R&D Hubs for Inertial Fusion Energy
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory hosted current and former staff, government officials, and media on May 8 to celebrate the lab’s achievement of fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on December 5, 2022. (World-Energy)
May 15, 2023
VIDEO: The Future of Clean Energy With U.S. Secretary of Energy
The Journal’s U.S. Energy Editor, Chris Matthews, sits down with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to discuss America’s route to a clean energy future and what obstacles stand in the way. (The Wall Street Journal)
May 15, 2023
DOE Launches Inertial Fusion Energy Program
Last week, the Department of Energy issued a funding opportunity through which it expects to award a total of $45 million to establish a series of multi-institutional “hubs” for inertial fusion energy R&D.
(American Institute of Physics)
May 15, 2023
See how the work of Clemson University researchers may one day unleash the power of the stars
Interest in fusion heated up worldwide in late 2022. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility reported they had achieved ignition. (Clemson News)
May 14, 2023
Class offered on nuclear fusion and the future of clean energy
Recently, the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California announced an enormous step forward in the race to provide clean energy. (The Star Democrat)
May 14, 2023
Microsoft Signs Contract to Buy Power From Nuclear Fusion Reactor by 2028
That feat was achieved by a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, whose director Kim Budil predicted it would still take several decades to turn this scientific breakthrough into a commercial one. (Singularity Hub)
May 12, 2023
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a stunning breakthrough on fusion energy
After generations of trying to produce the power of a star on Earth, a successful nuclear fusion ignition happened in the middle of a December night and was over in 20-billionths of a second. (East Bay Times)
May 12, 2023
From fusion to retooling cancer trials, Eric Lander wants his new group to ‘go after big problems’
Throughout his storied career, Eric Lander has led science projects in just about every setting there is: academia at MIT and Harvard Medical School, independent nonprofit research institutions like the Whitehead and the Broad institutes, startups, think tanks, international consortia, and the federal government. (Stat)
May 12, 2023
This lab achieved a stunning breakthrough on fusion energy
After generations of trying to produce the power of a star on Earth, a successful nuclear fusion ignition happened in the middle of a December night and was over in 20-billionths of a second. (CNN)
May 11, 2023
Livermore Lab ceremony celebrates fusion breakthrough
“Fusion offers the promise of affordable, abundant, reliable, clean energy — it is the holy grail,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said during a special ceremony Monday at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recognizing the accomplishment of the first successful controlled fusion experiment.
(Livermore Vine)
May 11, 2023
Northern Michigan Physicist Makes Time’s 100 Most Influential People
Annie Kritcher is a nuclear engineer and physicist who works at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
(WWTV/WWUP-TV 9&10 News)
May 11, 2023
Helion and Microsoft Lead World Down Nuclear Fusion Rabbit Hole
Recently, there have been a spate of announcements that seem to signal a potential turning point for fusion research. Perhaps most importantly of all, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in December announced that it had gotten energy net gain in a fusion reaction—a process known as ignition. (Gizmodo)
May 11, 2023
Laser upgrade at UK STFC to progress energy, medicine, imaging
This will build on recent successes demonstrated at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and in which CLF contributed to the research.
(Photonics World)
May 10, 2023
Fusion power by 2028? Microsoft is betting on it.
A Washington state start-up backed by hundreds of millions of dollars of venture capital announced Wednesday that it expects to have a fusion power plant built within five years, betting on a vastly faster timeline for harnessing the potentially game-changing energy source than most experts think is plausible.
(Washington Post)
May 10, 2023
Microsoft Inks Deal to Use Fusion Energy by 2028
The future of clean energy is arriving ahead of schedule, at least according to an announcement today from computing giant Microsoft. (Vice)
May 10, 2023
This startup says its first fusion plant is five years away. Experts doubt it.
A startup backed by Sam Altman says it’s on track to flip on the world’s first fusion power plant in five years, dramatically shortening the timeline to a carbon-free energy source that’s eluded scientists for three-quarters of a century. (MIT Technology Review)
May 9, 2023
Bay Area Scientists Celebrate Fusion Breakthrough, Aim to Replicate Historic Moment
Last December, in the early hours of a Monday morning, scientists blasted a diamond-shaped fuel capsule the size of a peppercorn with 192 lasers, producing a controlled fusion ignition that generated more energy than the lasers put into the initial reaction. (KQED)
May 9, 2023
Fusion ignition is subject of presentation
Thousands of employees at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Monday celebrated an accomplishment that's being called a game changer in energy and climate change — trying to replicate how the sun produces energy. (The Daily Record)
May 9, 2023
New laser technology from Leonardo could lead to breakthroughs in multiple fields
This will build on recent successes demonstrated at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and in which CLF contributed to the research. (Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter)
May 8, 2023
Fusion Reaction Celebrated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Thousands of employees at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Monday celebrated an accomplishment that's being called a game changer in energy and climate change – trying to replicate how the sun produces energy. (NBC Bay Area)
May 8, 2023
Energy Secretary celebrates fusion ignition and its limitless clean energy potential
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is being celebrated for fusion ignition, a modern scientific breakthrough that has the potential for limitless clean energy. (KTVU)
May 8, 2023
Breakevens and breakthroughs: What fusion means for our energy future
Just as 2022 ended, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a breakthrough in the development of energy technology. (The Hill)
May 8, 2023
DOE announces $45 million for Inertial Fusion Energy
Today, at the celebration ceremony of the historic achievement of fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm announced a plan to provide up to $45 million to support Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) research and development. (Energy Daily)
May 8, 2023
Fusion Breakthrough Hits Hurdles as Five Experiments Fail
The US government lab that made a long-awaited breakthrough in fusion energy late last year has run five similar experiments since then without being able to replicate the results. (Bloomberg News)
May 7, 2023
Are We on the Verge of a Nuclear Fusion Unlimited Energy Revolution?
The US National Ignition Facility (NIF) firing its lasers at full power showcases the advances in plasma heating and confinement technology. (The Watchdog)
May 6, 2023
The Time Is Finally Right For Nuclear Fusion
A powerful combination of scientific breakthroughs, private and public funding, and governmental support has drastically changed the outlook for commercial nuclear fusion. (OilPrice.com)
May 4, 2023
A Strange 1950s Technology Could Finally Bring Fusion Energy to the Grid
Scientists have spent over 70 years trying to pull nuclear fusion, the super-hot process that powers the Sun, down to Earth — and now they’re closer than ever. (Inverse)
May 2, 2023
Fusion and fission need each other
Fusion and fission may be seen as rivals but fusion technologies can learn a lot from their atom-splitting cousins. It’s not all one way either, collaboration may yet prove to be a success for both fields. (Nuclear Engineering International)
April 28, 2023
Fusion Energy Reaches Prime Time
As impressive as the JET achievement was, an even more dramatic event occurred the following year. In December 2022, researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved something that had never been managed before: net energy from a fusion reaction. (Power)
April 28, 2023
All the Inspiring, Entertaining, and Unforgettable People I Met at The Time 100 Gala
I chatted with Andrea Kritcher, the lead laser engineer and the principal experimentalist at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California. She’s working on smashing hydrogen atoms to provide limitless clean energy. (Katie Couric Media)
April 28, 2023
’Cooking Up Stars’s In Livermore, Changing The World With Fusion Energy
Famed for their fusion breakthrough, local physicists are sharing their ‘recipe for a small star.’ (Patch)
April 28, 2023
This Pioneering Nuclear Fusion Lab Is Gearing Up to Break More Records
Here’s what’s next after the U.S. National Ignition Facility’s breakthrough on nuclear fusion last year.
(Scientific American)
April 27, 2023
Avalanche raises $40M to pursue vision of tiny nuclear fusion reactor
The startup is spurning room-sized reactors in favor of a small, modular design. But it’s unclear when or if fusion technology — large or small — will pan out. (Canary Media)
April 27, 2023
Can fusion energy be cost-competitive and commercially viable? An analysis of magnetically confined reactors
The most advanced method, as demonstrated at the $3bn US National Ignition Facility (NIF), uses very high-powered lasers to heat the fuel and create the compressive shockwave. (Science Direct)
April 26, 2023
#StopWillow; Fusion technology; Emoji fun; Kid Candids; Rosie, the Environmentalist
Nick News reports on the latest #StopWillow GenZ viral campaign to protect the environment; the search for clean energy through fusion technology; fun with emojis; neurodiverse kids; climate activist Rosie Clemans-Cope. (Nick News)
April 26, 2023
This pioneering nuclear-fusion lab is gearing up to break more records
Following the US National Ignition Facility’s breakthrough last year, Nature looks at what’s next. (Nature)
April 26, 2023
LLNL’s Annie Kritcher named to TIME100 for her role in fusion breakthrough
Physicist Andrea “Annie” Kritcher’s dedication to fusion target design has earned her a spot on the TIME100 Most Influential People list for 2023. (Nuclear Newswire)
April 26, 2023
NRC Directs Nuclear Fusion Regulatory Framework
Fusion technology received a boost in 2021 when the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a milestone of performing a fusion reaction that produced more energy than was put into it. (Energy Central)
April 26, 2023
Which Aussie energy technologies could reshape the ASX by 2030?
The old adage that fusion energy is always 10 years away was recently rocked by the National Ignition Facility’s demonstration of net energy gain. (Stockhead)
April 25, 2023
LLNL’s Dr. Tammy Ma Named 2023 Corones Award Honoree
A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientist who has helped lead the drive to fusion energy breakthroughs is the 2023 recipient of the James Corones Award in Leadership, Community Building and Communication from the Krell Institute. (HPC Wire)
April 25, 2023
With over $3.4 billion in funding since 2021, nuclear fusion set to sprint
The U.S. leads with over a dozen players, including private firms Helion, Zap Energy and Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and public institutions such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility, which demonstrated net energy last December. (American Journal of Transportation)
April 25, 2023
Fluor signs laser fusion MOU
Fluor Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Longview Fusion Energy Systems to serve as its engineering and construction partner in designing and planning laser fusion energy for the global energy market. (Modern Power Systems)
April 25, 2023
Tech Moguls Chase Fusion for Power and Profit
The peak interest in fusion has been boosted by a recent breakthrough at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where last December scientists finally achieved net energy gain from a fusion reaction for the first time in history. (Innovation & Tech Today)
April 24, 2023
Tech Billionaires Bet on Fusion as Holy Grail for Business
Developers mostly in the U.S., Canada and Europe have been riding a wave of momentum since August 2021, when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came close to achieving more energy in a fusion reaction than was put in with lasers, a goal known as net gain. (Wall Street Journal)
April 24, 2023
Fluor Set for Contract to Develop Pilot Laser Fusion Power Plant
Fluor Corp. will provide preliminary design and engineering, and is negotiating the first contract, under a memorandum of understanding with an energy developer to build a pilot power plant using developing laser fusion technology. (Engineering News-Record)
April 24, 2023
Livermore Lab scientist named one of Time Magazine’s most influential people in the world
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's “Annie” Kritcher has been named to Time magazine’s TIME100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (DanvilleSan Ramon.com)
April 24, 2023
Nuclear fusion ‘could be plugged into the grid in ten years’
A US nuclear fusion project says it will be ready for commercialisation by the early 2030s, as governments and companies rush to invest following a successful experiment in the US. (Energy Monitor)
April 21, 2023
5 Big Advancements We Can Expect in Climate Tech
Last year, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved a genuine scientific breakthrough, producing the first controlled nuclear fusion reaction that created more energy than required to start the reaction. (Built In)
April 21, 2023
NATO head talks nukes; Livermore scientist is one of Time’s 100; DOE puts Russia on notice and more
Andrea Kritcher, a design physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. (Exchange Monitor)
April 20, 2023
Nuclear fusion will not be regulated the same way as nuclear fission — a big win for the fusion industry
The top regulatory agency for nuclear materials safety in the U.S. voted unanimously to regulate the burgeoning fusion industry differently than the nuclear fission industry, and fusion startups are celebrating that as a major win. (CNBC)
April 20, 2023
Trust but verify
Perhaps the most famous experimental site is Livermore’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), which focuses 192 laser beams onto a thimble-size target containing hydrogen isotopes to spark tiny fusion explosions. (Science)
April 20, 2023
Video: Time magazine names Bay Area physicist one of the most influential people in the world
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Andrea “Annie” Kritcher has been named to Time magazine’s TIME100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (KTVU Fox 2)
April 20, 2023
Fluor to Bolster Commercialization of Laser Fusion Power
Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) giant Fluor Corp. will serve as an engineering and construction partner to design and plan laser fusion power plants developed by Longview Fusion Energy Systems—a company leveraging the recent fusion breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Power)
April 19, 2023
Why Livermore lab physicist now ranks among A-list celebs, world leaders and royals
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Andrea “Annie” Kritcher has been named to Time magazine’s TIME100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (KRON4)
April 19, 2023
LLNL’s Annie Kritcher Makes TIME100 List
Time Magazine has named Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) design physicist Andrea “Annie” Kritcher to its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (The Independent)
April 19, 2023
Fluor and Longview partner on laser fusion facility
Longview Fusion Energy Systems, Inc. has selected Texas-based Fluor Corporation as engineering and construction partner for the design and planning of laser fusion energy. (Power Engineering International)
April 18, 2023
Livermore scientist named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in the world
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Andrea "Annie" Kritcher has been named to Time magazine’s TIME100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (KTVU)
April 18, 2023
Fluor signs agreement to develop design and engineering for US laser fusion energy plants
The idea for the power plant is based upon a recent breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California, showing the experimental demonstration of fusion with energy gain. (Construction Europe)
April 18, 2023
Pushing the boundaries of innovation
One of the biggest recent breakthroughs in clean energy took place in December, when researchers confirmed that they have overcome one of the major barriers to producing clean energy from fusion.
(Aerospace Manufacturing)
April 15, 2023
Tiny fixing key to fusion power
Last December, a major step forward was achieved with a fusion reaction at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the USA — it yielded more energy than was required to start it. (Fastener + Fixing Magazine)
April 15, 2023
Livermore National Laboratory official to visit CCCC for program on ‘world first fusion ignition’
Dr. Zhi M. Liao, workforce manager for the National Ignition Facility & Photon Sciences Directorate (NIF&PS) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), will visit Central Carolina Community College for a special presentation at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic & Conference Center.
(The Sanford Herald)
April 15, 2023
Nuclear Fusion Is Not A Silver Bullet Solution
Last December, researchers at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California made a massive breakthrough when they became the first team to finally break through what is still nuclear fusion’s most significant: creating net positive energy from the reaction.
(OilPrice.com)
April 14, 2023
TC Native Named One of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People
Traverse City native Andrea Kritcher, a nuclear engineer and physicist who works at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023. (Traverse City Ticker)
April 13, 2023
The 100 Most Influential People of 2023: Andrea Kritcher
Her work is one more example in decades of passionate research from hundreds of scientists, engineers, and technicians that made the fusion breakthrough possible. (Time)
April 13, 2023
LLNL’s Annie Kritcher Named to TIME100 for Fusion Research
Time magazine has named Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) design physicist Andrea “Annie” Kritcher to its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world for her role as the principal designer for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) experiment that produced fusion ignition in a laboratory for the first time. (Inside HPC)
April 13, 2023
Daily on Energy
Time named design physicist Andrea Kritcher, who oversaw design of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory experiment that resulted in last year’s fusion energy breakthrough, to its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (Washington Examiner)
April 13, 2023
The earliest DT nuclear fusion discoveries
Fusion energy research has seen exciting recent breakthroughs. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has achieved ignition, and in the United Kingdom, the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy’s Joint European Torus (JET) has produced a record 59 megajoules of fusion energy. (Nuclear Newswirer)
April 12, 2023
Local facility secures $2.7 million contract extension with Raytheon
They also provide special glass for the National Ignition Facility. (Fox 56 WOLF)
April 11, 2023
NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby Offers Frank Answers On LANL Plutonium Pit Production And More During Hybrid Town Hall Meeting In Santa Fe
It was described by some as a somewhat momentous occasion last Tuesday evening (April 4) when Jill Hruby and William “Ike” White joined Santa Fe County Commission Chair Anna Hansen on the dais for a hybrid town hall meeting at the Santa Fe Convention Center, which was attended by some 250 people in person and another 200 online. (Los Alamos Reporter)
April 11, 2023
No, Fusion Energy Won’t Be ‘Limitless’
Last December, researchers at California’s National Ignition Facility achieved what many in the fusion industry have called its ‘Wright brothers” moment. (Wired)
April 11, 2023
An Optimist’s View Of Technology
LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment to reach scientific energy breakeven—the point when fusion produces more energy than the laser energy required to drive the process. (Forbes)
April 10, 2023
Eni Expands Collaboration With MIT Spinoff To Demonstrate Industrial Fusion Energy
LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment to reach scientific energy breakeven—the point when fusion produces more energy than the laser energy required to drive the process. (Journal of Petroleum Technology)
April 7, 2023
35% of climate segments on corporate broadcast TV news in 2022 featured climate solutions
There were 5 segments on fusion power that aired between December 12 and December 14; these segments discussed a scientific fusion breakthrough that occurred at the U.S. National Ignition Facility in California, where for the first time scientists achieved ignition gain (creating more energy than was pumped in) in fusion testing — a process where more energy was released than was used by the lab’s lasers. (Media Matters)
April 7, 2023
New GAO report focuses on fusion
The important recent fusion research developments noted in the report include the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and advances in other kinds of technology that can be applied to fusion, such as computer modeling that helps researchers predict the behavior of plasma.
(Nuclear Newswire)
April 7, 2023
DOE Budget Priorities Questioned by New House Republican Majority
House appropriators for the Department of Energy previewed their priorities at a hearing on DOE’s budget request for fiscal year 2024, the first since Republicans won control of the House. (AIP)
April 6, 2023
Replicating Nuclear Energy Operations in Digital Twins
PTC, known for its Creo design and simulation software suite, has a long history serving the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), stretching over 25 years. (Digital Engineering 24/7)
April 5, 2023
LLNL Director Discusses Fusion Energy at Commonwealth Club
In a talk last week to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) described the promise and the challenge of trying to harness nuclear fusion as an energy source. (The Independent)
April 4, 2023
Our Fusion Future—Lawrence Livermore Director Kim Budil
In late 2022, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made a long-sought breakthrough, achieving self-sustaining “fusion ignition” for the first time and generating breakeven energy. (Commonwealth Club of California Podcast)
April 4, 2023
What the latest nuclear fusion breakthrough means for engineers
“It’s not all solved, and that’s a good thing.” Dr Melanie Windridge is, naturally, excited about the breakthrough announced by an American laboratory late last year. (Institution of Mechanical Engineers)
April 3, 2023
The big idea: will fusion power save us from the climate crisis?
Recent breakthroughs have been wildly hyped — but there’s still reason to hope. (The Guardian)
April 1, 2023
A Twisted Reactor From Hell Could Propel Nuclear Fusion Forward
Following the success of the National Ignition Facility’s fusion test in December 2022, companies have began investigating ways to turn inertial confinement fusion into a green energy revolution. (Popular Mechanics)
March 31, 2023
Glass sensors being developed to withstand fusion environment
A UK project is underway to develop new sensors that can monitor commercial nuclear fusion reactors in real time. (The Engineer)
March 30, 2023
US energy officials release strategy to boost offshore wind
The U.S. Energy Department has announced a new strategy to meet the goal of vastly expanding offshore wind energy to address climate change. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
March 29, 2023
Nuclear Fusion & the Green Energy Movement
As of December 2022, the impossible has become a (future) possible! (The Oakland Post)
March 29, 2023
Is nuclear fusion capable of being a revolutionary energy source?
Nuclear fusion has been in the headlines in recent times, most notably when the US Department of Energy announced "fusion ignition" last year. (Brainstorm)
March 23, 2023
Innovative companies to be honored at #GameChangers Awards
Receiving this year’s Founder’s Award is the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory National Ignition Facility (NIF) Fusion Ignition Team. (Livermore Vine)
March 22, 2023
Fusion power is coming back into fashion
They are all following a path pioneered by the National Ignition Facility (NIF), an American government project to study the physics of atomic weapons. (The Economist)
March 21, 2023
15 Women Who Broke Barriers In Silicon Valley
These individuals have broken barriers, shattered stereotypes and inspired change in Silicon Valley. (San Jose Spotlight)
March 21, 2023
Podcast: Checking in from NIF — Laser-Driven Fusion — with Jean-Michel Di Nicola
Three-and-a-half months after December 2022's breakthrough experimental result that yielded fusion ignition, Jean-Michel Di Nicola, chief engineer of laser systems at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and acting program co-director for laser science and system engineering at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, provides an update on sustained progress in fusion science. (Photonics Media)
March 21, 2023
Steps toward fusion, and the island company that took part
For a brief instant, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory National Ignition Facility, NIF, in Livermore, California, created fusion Dec. 5, giving hope to the dream of a limitless clean energy source. An island-grown company, Luxel, took part in making that moment occur. (The Journal of the San Juan Islands)
March 18 2023
Video: Nuclear fusion, explained
Scientists produced the world’s first fusion reaction with net energy gain — a major milestone in the decades-long quest for unlimited, cheap, clean power. Here’s what that means. (Washington Post)
March 16, 2023
FY24 Science Budget Proposals Coming Into Focus
Science agencies are releasing details of President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request, which prioritizes research related to emerging technologies and climate change and includes a new emphasis on fusion energy. (American Institute of Physics)
March 15, 2023
Regulating the Power of the Sun: Fusion Energy Breakeven Is a Breakthrough
Fusion energy is hot. And not just literally. The scientific community is abuzz about a recent announcement that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists achieved the first energy breakeven from a fusion reaction. (JD Supra)
March 15, 2023
Can Hydrogen and Nuclear Save Us?
Most notably on 5th December 2022, scientists and researchers at the National Ignition Facility in California made an historic breakthrough with nuclear fusion. (Master Investor)
March 14, 2023
Major Trends Shaping The Greener Economy
Experiments conducted by scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory successfully produced fusion ignition. (Forbes)
March 10, 2023
A fusion of science and fun: Discovery Center gives rare glimpse into lab’s secretive world
At its heart is a half-size replica of the targeting dome at the lab’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), which just made worldwide news in December for achieving nuclear fusion for the first time in history.
(Local News Matters)
March 10, 2023
Beyer: Biden Budget ‘Roadmap To Stronger, Healthier America’
This funding will help build on the incredible breakthrough we saw in December at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility, by moving us closer to commercialization. (Falls Church News-Press)
March 10, 2023
Russia Is Powering Up a Giant Laser to Test Its Nukes
To check that atomic weapons work, scientists run simulations of explosions using high-energy lasers—and Russia is building the strongest one of all. (Wired)
March 9, 2023
World’s fastest burst-mode X-ray camera hits the road
Camera sensors built at Sandia’s Microsystems Engineering, Science and Applications Complex can be found at major research facilities such as the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, which achieved fusion ignition in 2022, the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester in New York and Sandia’s own Z Pulsed Power Facility. (Science X)
March 9, 2023
What is fusion and why it’s so hard
Fusion could solve climate change and power our planet overnight. Small steps were made in the US in Dec. 2022. We are not there yet but the key is to not stop trying. (Green Prophet)
March 8, 2023
Representative Swalwell Hosts Pleasanton Town Hall Meeting
Other topics discussed included advances in science made recently at Lawrence Livermore Labs, including the breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility, and the ongoing need for social and mental health services at the local level. (The Independent)
March 7, 2023
Laser shots at National Ignition Facility could spark additional discoveries in astrophysics
In December, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made headlines worldwide. (Newswise)
March 6, 2023
Visiting officials from DOE’s Office of Science learn about PPPL’s expanded mission
The Feb. 10 visit by Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, along with Harriet Kung, deputy director for science programs, comes at an exciting time in the development of fusion energy. (Princeton News)
March 6, 2023
IAEA Seeks Synopses for Fusion Energy Conference
Authors interested in presenting a contributed paper at the 29th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2023) have until 16 March 2023 to submit a two-page synopsis. (Mirage News)
March 4, 2023
Compact nuclear fusion 1 million times more effective than other types, claims Israeli startup
The announcement of a potential nuclear fusion breakthrough from researchers at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in late 2022 sparked great excitement in a planet searching for sustainable energy sources. (Interesting Engineering)
March 3, 2023
Is nuclear fusion power the future of renewable energy?
Breakthroughs in nuclear fusion could change the conversation around power sources. (Quartz)
March 3, 2023
Green Energy Game-Changer? The Environmental Benefits of Nuclear Fusion
Last December, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history to generate more energy than it took to create, putting the U.S. on the path toward stabilizing nuclear fusion and potentially unlocking limitless clean energy; a development which, on a larger scale, could bring an end to carbon-emitting energy sources. (The Debrief)
March 3, 2023
U.S. Department of Energy To Upgrade Its Aging Fleet of Nuclear Reactors, Here’s How
But beyond nuclear fission, nuclear fusion has only recently entered the public discussion on global energy as something even remotely viable to achieve. When the National Ignition Facility in California achieved scientific breakeven last year, it signaled to the world at large that something revolutionary had taken place.
(Auto Evolution)
March 2, 2023
Lawmakers offer contrasting views on how to compete with China in science
Democrats on the science committee repeatedly cited Livermore’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) as evidence that basic science can contribute to both economic growth and national security. (Science)
March 2, 2023
Predictions for 2023: A make-or-break year for startups
I believe there will be more milestones achieved at Lawrence Livermore’s National Ignition Facility and an increase in investment in startups looking to commercialize fusion technology. This is the first time in human history that fusion energy is actually only a decade away. (Fast Company)
March 1, 2023
It’s Time to Fall in Love with Nuclear Fusion—Again
Let’s indulge: Once fusion arrives, handmade suns could wipe out all human problems in a go. (Wired)
March 1, 2023
Path to Fusion Power Pits Giant Lasers Against Powerful Magnets
How two approaches to nuclear fusion could create endless clean energy. (Bloomberg)
March 1, 2023
FY23 Budget Outcomes: National Nuclear Security Administration
The appropriation set minimum funding levels for the three main facilities supported by the ICF program: $380 million for the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab, a $30 million increase over last year’s minimum; $83 million for the Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Labs, a $16 million increase; and $86 million for the OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester, a $3 million increase. (AIP)
March 1, 2023
The science of fusion ignition
On December 5, 2022, scientists for the first time successfully produced more energy from a nuclear fusion experiment than the laser energy used to power it. (Electronics 360)
March 1, 2023
Bridge to the Energy Future
Fusion ignition is an historic achievement, but we’ll need machine intelligence to achieve clean nuclear energy. (Boss Magazine)
February 28, 2023
The tiny diamond sphere that could unlock clean power
At 1:03 a.m. on Monday 5 December, scientists at the National Ignition Facility in California aimed their 192 beam laser at a cylinder containing a tiny diamond fuel capsule. (BBC)
February 28, 2023
Reactor experiment demonstrates alternative fusion scheme
Researchers in Japan have demonstrated, for the first time in a fusion reactor, a type of fuel that is plentiful and doesn’t produce damaging particles. (Science)
February 28, 2023
How lifetime emissions of different energy sources stack up
After six decades of experiments, scientists from the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced an energy breakthrough in December 2022: a nuclear fusion reactor had produced more energy than was used to run it. (WFMZ)
February 28, 2023
ITER: A new era for energy
It is terrific news for the National Ignition Facility team and the fusion community because, as mentioned before, we need to foster more awareness and engage in a more dynamic conversation with policymakers and citizens to understand the significance of this breakthrough, and its prospect. (Innovation News Network)
February 28, 2023
Group Touts Milestone for Hydrogen-Boron Fusion Power
A California-based group said it has completed the first-ever hydrogen-boron fusion experiments to produce a sustainable fuel for utility-scale fusion power. (Power)
February 28, 2023
Nuclear fusion breakthrough for TAE Technologies with hydrogen-boron
Another major nuclear fusion breakthrough has been reported, with the first successful hydrogen-boron fusion experiments in a magnetically confined fusion plasma. (Proactive)
February 28, 2023
US-Japan team hails H2-boron plasma fusion breakthrough
California-based TAE Technologies and Japan’s National Institute for Fusion Science claim success testing new fuel cycle, opening door to cleaner, lower cost energy than produced by conventional deuterium-tritium-based process. (Recharge)
February 28, 2023
Scientists are using a tiny diamond sphere that could change life as we know it
Sometimes the biggest changes can come from the smallest of things and this is definitely the case for a bunch of scientists who have discovered a tiny in size but colossal in impact game-changer for the world. (Unilad)
February 28, 2023
Fusion Reaction: How AI, HPC Are Energizing Science
A principal investigator at Lawrence Livermore shares how machine learning on the world’s fastest systems catalyzed the lab’s breakthrough. (Nvidia)
February 28, 2023
The minuscule diamond sphere that can enable sustainable energy
Scientists at the National Ignition Facility in California pointed their 192 beam laser at a cylinder carrying a small diamond fuel capsule at 1:03am on Monday, December 5. (Compsmag)
February 28, 2023
Future Potential of Fusion Energy
In December 2022, scientists at the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory promulgated that they achieved a fusion reaction with net energy gain for the first time. (Modern Diplomacy)
February 27, 2023
Point/Counterpoint: Nuclear fusion is the energy source of the future
Several weeks ago, nuclear fusion topped headlines around the world when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced an essential milestone in developing this nascent technology. (Duluth News Tribune)
February 24, 2023
11 recent scientific breakthroughs
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced in December that they had produced the first fusion reaction that created more energy than was used to start it. (The Week)
February 24, 2023
What are the top Israel tech trends for 2023?
The announcement by the National Ignition Facility at California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that it had achieved a breakthrough in producing nuclear fusion ignited a power generation frenzy that has reached Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
February 24, 2023
Opinion: The shot heard around the world
The National Ignition Facility recently made an important breakthrough in nuclear fusion. Is it enough to one day save us from our adversity to energy policy intelligence? (Idaho State Journal)
February 24, 2023
Computational modelling in support of progress towards nuclear fusion energy breakeven
The recent success at the National Ignition Facility in achieving fusion ignition has been remarkable for the fusion community as it has highlighted to the world that the path to controlled nuclear fusion, and eventually to a fusion reactor powerplant, is indeed attainable. (Innovation News Network)
February 24, 2023
Nanotechnology with a perspective on nuclear fusion
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) announced already an energy gain ratio of 1.5, although the energy which reached the fuel target was estimated, not directly measured. (Open Access Government)
February 23, 2023
Using massive lasers to understand planetary physics
One of those lasers is Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF), which was featured heavily in the news recently for accomplishing fusion with a net gain of energy. (Nevada Today)
February 23, 2023
Europe’s fusion energy journey
The results of the fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility in California were the first ever demonstration of ‘breakeven’ fusion energy, yielding a target gain of energy of more than 100%. The US researchers working on this achievement should be congratulated. (Innovation News Network)
February 22, 2023
China tops nuclear fusion patent ranking, beating U.S.
China has raced ahead of the pack in filing patents in nuclear fusion technology, pointing to its ambition to master the science and take the lead in the development of an alternative to fossil fuels. (Nikkei Asia)
February 21, 2023
Fusion energy research rewards science
Commercial fusion is the goal, but we can benefit from the fascinating science being done in the process.
(The Naked Scientists)
February 20, 2023
Science and Innovation Minister announces international hub for fusion development
Fusion energy has been very much in the news since it was revealed that using the world’s biggest laser, the US National Ignition Facility in California had conducted fusion experiments which released more energy than was put in. (Air Quality News)
February 20, 2023
Fusion Breakthrough?
The U.S. Department of Energy has identified a research and development agenda for a suite of technologies and processes to enable fusion. (Forbes)
February 20, 2023
Five Enabling Technologies A Fusion Industry Will Need
What is revolutionary nowadays is that scientists at the National Ignition Facility at California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory produced a fusion reaction in a controlled manner that required less energy than was input. (Yeshiva University Observer)
February 19, 2023
Fusion Is About To Become A Must-Have Investment, DOE Official Says
Investment in fusion energy is about to go mainstream, according to the lead fusion coordinator for the U.S. Department of Energy. (Forbes)
February 17, 2023
Longview Fusion and Focused Energy
Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) using lasers would resemble the rapid-fire explosions of an internal combustion engine. The NIF’s (National Ignition Facility) shot had a one-off ignition event. (Next Big Future)
February 16, 2023
Commonwealth Fusion Systems celebrates newest campus at Devens
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility in California were able to produce the first fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain last December, while CFS’s compact SPARC technology is expected to do the same. (The Lowell Sun)
February 16, 2023
Milestone reached on road to nuclear fusion
Intensive research is under way to develop practical fusion power, principally at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California and the International Experimental Thermonuclear Reactor (ITER) in France, a collaborative effort between the European Union, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. (The Irish Times)
February 16, 2023
Nuclear Fusion: What This Scientific Breakthrough Really Means For Energy
But recently, on 13 December 2022, the US Department of Energy declared that they reached a new milestone in energy generation. The announcement states that the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved some kind of ignition in nuclear fusion a few weeks prior to the announcement. (ICE Business Times)
February 15, 2023
Startups try to turn laser fusion success into clean power plants
Following in footsteps of National Ignition Facility, companies aim to trigger rapid-fire fusion blasts. (Science)
February 15, 2023
Fusion experiment’s success portends abundant, clean energy in future
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently achieved the first nuclear fusion reaction that generated more energy than it took to produce the reaction. (South Carolina Public Radio)
February 14, 2023
Saint Helena Forum hosts talk about nuclear fusion with acclaimed plasma physicist
The Saint Helena Forum for Innovation & Creativity will present a free virtual discussion about “Recent Milestones, Current Status and Future Prospects for Nuclear Fusion as a Viable Energy Source” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28. (Napa Valley Register)
February 13, 2023
Everything you need to know about fusion energy
Podcast: Fusion — the act of deriving energy by smashing atoms together — has long been the stuff of science fiction. But thanks to a recent scientific breakthrough, there has been an increase in public excitement that one day, we might be able to use this as a continuous, clean source of energy. (The Globe and Mail)
February 10, 2023
Secretary of Energy visits Massachusetts facility pioneering fusion energy power plant technology
State and federal dignitaries, including U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, gathered in Massachusetts on Friday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at a facility that aims to pioneer fusion energy power plants. (WCVB)
February 9, 2023
Heckman: ‘Fusion energy is coming’
‘The old joke used to be, ‘Fusion energy is 25 years into the future and always will be,’ ” Kurt Heckman told a packed recital hall Wednesday night at the Performing Arts Center at Garrett College. “That’s not true anymore,” he continued. “I think we’ll be looking at fusion energy on the grid in a decade — and maybe sooner than that.” (The Garrett County Republican)
February 9, 2023
Massachusetts Fusion Center getting lift from U.S. energy chief
In December, Granholm’s secretariat announced that researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made a breakthrough “decades in the making” by conducting a fusion experiment that produced more energy via fusion than the laser energy used to create the reaction. (WWLP)
February 9, 2023
First Light Fusion gets next-gen demo go ahead
Oxford-based fusion startup First Light Fusion has inked the go ahead for construction of the Machine 4 demonstration facility at the UKAEA’s nearby Culham campus. (Power Engineering International)
February 9, 2023
Is an EV future sustainable?
On Dec. 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). (Energy Central)
February 8, 2023
LLNL Scientists Honored During State of the Union
Fresh from the scientific milestone of achieving fusion ignition, two Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists said they were honored Tuesday to represent Livermore at President Joseph Biden’s State of the Union address in Washington. (The Independent)
February 7, 2023
Audio: Bay Area laboratory credited at SOTU for its nuclear fusion breakthrough
It may very well be the biggest achievement in the 21st century — creating energy more powerful than the center of the sun, right here on earth. That happened in our backyard in December and it is a game changer for clean energy in the future. (KCBS)
February 7, 2023
Bay Area congressional reps comment on State of the Union address
Lofgren and Swalwell hosted Dr. Tammy Ma, a plasma physicist at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) who is the lead for the LLNL Inertial Fusion Energy Initiative, and Dr. Kim Budil, Director of LLNL, as their guests (respectively) for the address. Both women were involved in December's scientific breakthrough, when NIF achieved fusion ignition for the first time in human history. (CBS Bay Area)
February 7, 2023
Watch Nuclear Fusion Reactor Form Plasma
What does the inside of a nuclear fusion reactor look like? ‘It looks like the future,” Stuart White, head of communications at Tokamak Energy, told Newsweek. “A spaceship. It’s extremely striking, powerful and exciting. You can't take your eyes off it.” (KCBS)
February 7, 2023
LLNL: Ignition Gives US ”Unique Opportunity” to Lead World”s IFE Research
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)’s historic achievement of fusion ignition on December 5th at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) positions the United States with a &ldsquo;sunique opportunity”s to further lead the world scientific community’s pursuit of developing fusion as a future source of clean energy, according to a newly released report. (HPC Wire)
February 7, 2023
UK launches Industrial Fusion Solutions body
The announcement comes shortly after a major breakthrough for fusion in the US where the US National Ignition Facility in California conducted fusion experiments which released more energy than was put in by the lab’s enormous, high-powered lasers, a landmark achievement known as energy gain. (Gas World)
February 7, 2023
World-first ‘super’ magnet sparks nuclear fusion breakthrough
Last year, scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California became the first to achieve a net energy gain using nuclear fusion power. (Independent)
February 6, 2023
Fusion energy breakthrough sparks calls for more government backing
The fusion energy industry is calling for greater political support, hopeful that a landmark breakthrough by US scientists last year has given policymakers confidence to bet on the nascent sector. (Financial Times)
February 6, 2023
LLNL Director Kim Budil Named to ‘Power 100’ List
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Kim Budil has been selected by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Power 100, an inaugural list highlighting the top 100 business leaders in the Bay Area. (HPC Wire)
February 6, 2023
Delayed Reaction
Researchers at the DOE-funded National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California, managed to ignite a brief fusion reaction that generated more power than was required to trigger it. (City Journal)
February 6, 2023
Expert in Matter Under Extreme Conditions Named Inaugural Lin Chancellor’s Endowed Chair
Farhat Beg, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego and a renowned high energy density science expert, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Shao-Chi and Lily Lin Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in Engineering Science. (UC San Diego Today)
February 6, 2023
UK / Government Establishes Company To Develop Fusion Prototype Plant
In December 2022, Researchers at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California announced on that fusion experiments had released more energy than was pumped in by the lab’s enormous, high-powered lasers, a landmark achievement known as ignition or energy gain. (Nucnet)
February 6, 2023
Private company set up to oversee UK’s prototype fusion reactor
The UK government has set up a delivery body tasked with building a prototype fusion energy plant to be sited at West Burton in Nottinghamshire. (The Register)
February 6, 2023
Precise X-ray thermometer for warm dense matter
A recent announcement from the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the US gave the field of ICF a major boost. (ChemEurope.com)
February 6, 2023
Nuclear fusion startup aims to provide clean energy
In a world seeking renewable sources of energy, the announcement of a potential breakthrough in nuclear fusion from researchers at the US National Ignition Facility in California in late 2022 sparked much excitement. (Israel21c)
February 5, 2023
Albuquerque native, UNM alum part of history-making team to achieve fusion
Daniel Casey was first intrigued by the concept of fusion in high school, getting a chance to see the Sandia National Laboratories Z machine in action. (UNV Newsroom)
February 5, 2023
Recent nuclear fusion breakthrough an exciting development for energy future
There was recently a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. In December, 2022, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory produced a nuclear fusion reaction with a net energy gain. (St. Cloud Times)
February 4, 2023
The Future of Nuclear Fusion: A Discussion with Sharon Ann Holgate
Podcast: How useful will nuclear fusion be? In a major breakthrough last year at the National Ignition Facility in California, 192 lasers achieved fusion — and created energy — for the first time. (Player FM)
February 3, 2023
UK partners to advance inertial confinement fusion
FOLLOWING the US’s major fusion breakthrough with inertial confinement technology, a UK partnership has announced that it will design and construct a demonstrator for a similar approach at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Culham Campus in Oxfordshire, UK. (The Chemical Engineer)
February 3, 2023
Discovery Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reopens to public
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Discovery Center has reopened to visits from the public as of Wednesday after a 3-year closure because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Tracy Press)
February 3, 2023
Residential Fusion
On Dec. 5, 2022, a team of scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory produced a tiny blast of something incredible. They created a fusion reaction that generated more energy than it required to catalyze. There is only one reasonable follow-up question: When can I get a fusion reactor to heat water in my home? (PHCP Pros)
February 2, 2023
Dr. Brown: Latest fusion ‘breakthrough’ more hype than sound science
Several decades ago, long before there was any sense of urgency and angst about burning fossil fuels and climate change, scientists began to explore the feasibility of harnessing the way the sun fuses hydrogen nuclei to form helium nuclei as way to create abundant “clean” energy with little or no harmful radiation. (Niagra Now)
February 2, 2023
Now That We’ve Achieved Ignition, How Will It Impact Clean Energy?
In December 2022, researchers at the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF) made a breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion by achieving a phenomenon known as ignition. How was this achieved, and what does this mean for the future of clean energy initiatives? (Thomas Insights)
February 1, 2023
23 good things already happening in 2023
We’re in the first year of the fusion age.The breakthrough nuclear fusion experiment announced by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory a month ago has been compared to the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk. (Mashable)
February 1, 2023
“We’ve Brought The Process That Drives The Stars…To Earth.”
In five one-millionths of a second, the world changed. It changed dramatically, it changed essentially, and it changed forever. (Forbes)
February 1, 2023
NT-Tao raises $22M to explore way to generate energy from nuclear fusion
Just last month, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reported that they had successfully generated additional energy through a nuclear fusion experiment. Such promise is why dozens of startups around the world — as well as big companies and corporate labs — are raising and spending billions of dollars to try and solve the problem. (The Madison Leader Gazette)
February 1, 2023
Livermore Lab's Discovery Center reopens to visitors
The Discovery Center also will resume in-person “Fun with Science” field trips. The popular fifth grade excursion introduces students to the science behind NIF, the world's largest and most energetic laser system. (Pleasanton Weekly)
February 1, 2023
Fusion Energy Is New Kid on the Clean Energy Block
On Dec. 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy announced important advancements in fusion energy research that could lead to a plentiful source of energy and clean power. This could be a game changer. (TheSandPaper.net)
January 31, 2023
Nevada National Security Site plays role in landmark fusion breakthrough
It turns out Nevada played a role in a major breakthrough in fusion. (KSNV-TV)
January 31, 2023
Nuclear fusion is the energy source of the future, by James Broughel
Nuclear fusion topped headlines around the world in December when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced an essential milestone in developing this nascent technology.
(The Press of Atlantic City)
January 31, 2023
A Long Way From Nuclear Fusion
The nuclear fusion community ended 2022 with a bang, when scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California reported that they had created a reaction that produced more energy than it consumed. (Revista de Prensa)
January 31, 2023
Stellarator Reactors: The Once Forgotten, All-American Approach to Nuclear Fusion
After the National Ignition Facility in California achieved 1.5 times breakeven with a laser-based fusion core in 2022, it’s been a two-horse race between stellarators and tokamaks to see which will be the second to break even. (Auto Evolution)
January 31, 2023
Episode #111: ‘The Future of Energy & Utilities’ with Lincoln Bleveans
After being the second-ever guest on the podcast, we welcome back Lincoln Bleveans. Back in 2019 when Lincoln first joined us in the podcast booth, he was guiding Burbank Water and Power, but in the time since then he’s joined Stanford University as the Executive Director of Sustainability & Management.
(Energy Central Podcasts)
January 31, 2023
Schott Appoints Chris Cassidy President of Schott North America
Schott, the international technology group with a long-standing tradition of inventing specialty glass, has appointed Chris Cassidy as President of Schott North America. (Novus Light Technologies Today)
January 31, 2023
One Step Closer to Fusion Power
The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). (Natural Awakenings)
January 30, 2023
URI engineering professor discusses nuclear fusion discovery
A University of Rhode Island professor of mechanical, industrial and systems engineering spoke recently about the U.S. Department of Energy announcement in December that fusion ignition had been achieved at its Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (The Westerly Sun)
January 30, 2023
Lawrence Livermore’s Discovery Center Reopens After Long Closure
Visitors will now be able to walk through an updated model of the target chamber of the National Ignition Facility, learn about the lab’s role in combating COVID-19, and an exhibit on the lab’s astronomical discoveries, according to Science Education Program Manager Joanna Albala. (Patch)
January 29, 2023
ITER: A Global Scientific Dream Team Building the World’s Largest Fusion Reactor
Until the National Ignition Facility in California achieved burning plasma using an entirely different type of laser-fusion reactor, this had never been achieved before. (Auto Evolution)
January 29, 2023
Start-ups versprechen die Zukunft der Energie
Zum ersten Mal hat ein Laser Wasserstoffkerne verschmolzen und dabei mehr Energie gewonnen als investiert. (Deutschlandfunk)
January 28, 2023
Tritium: A “High-Octane”, Ultra-Rare Fusion Fuel We Can’t Make Nearly Enough Of
After the National Ignition Facility in California’s first successful scientific breakeven through nuclear fusion, mankind is all the more serious about reaching the promised land of near-limitless fusion energy.
(Auto Evolution)
January 28, 2023
These Researchers Have Developed Metal Alloys That May Support Nuclear Fusion Energy
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers recently reported a net energy gain from nuclear fusion. (Wonderful Engineering)
January 27, 2023
Party of Six in the East Bay
Hollywood legend Rita Moreno leads our lineup of local luminaries, while scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieve a major breakthrough. (Diablo Magazine)
January 27, 2023
Creating Stars, Powering the World — Here Comes Fusion!
In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg talks with Annie Kritcher, the physicist who designed the successful experiment that recreated the energy source of the sun. (Energy Central)
January 27, 2023
First Light Fusion wants to operate a net gain inertial fusion machine in 2027
Ignition and net gain at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) in December 2022 focused global attention on the prospects of inertial fusion energy (IFE). (Nuclear News)
January 27, 2023
Nuclear Fusion : Could This Be the Next Thing?
December 5th, 2022 will be marked as one of the landmarks on the sustainability of nuclear fusion timeline. (AltEnergyMag.com)
January 26, 2023
Fusion! Designer of Fusion Ignition Experiment, Nuclear Physicist Dr. Annie Kritcher
Learn from Dr. Annie Kritcher, who designed the conditions for this successful experiment, how the breakthrough was achieved. (BuzzSprout)
January 26, 2023
How Close Are We to Nuclear Fusion for Limitless Energy?
Nuclear fusion’s potential for clean, limitless energy sounds like sci-fi, but it’s slowly becoming reality. (Vice)
January 26, 2023
First Light Fusion to build demonstration facility at UKAEA’s Culham Campus
The announcement of the design and construction of the new purpose-built building follows the recent confirmation of net energy gain by the US National Ignition Facility (NIF), at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (Nuclear Engineering International)
January 26, 2023
Oxford’s First Light Fusion agrees to build new fusion facility
The agreement comes after the National Ignition Facility in California’s recent breakthrough, when it managed to produce net energy gain for the first time from a fusion experiment. (Business & Innovation Magazine)
January 25, 2023
First Light Fusion demonstration plant site agreement, targets 2024 construction start
The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and First Light Fusion have signed an agreement for the design and construction of a facility to house the company’s new net energy gain demonstrator, Machine 4, at the authority's Culham Campus in Oxfordshire. (World Nuclear News)
January 25, 2023
What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? Why 2022 Was Better Than You Think
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory created the first nuclear fusion reaction in a laboratory setting that actually produced more energy than it took to start the reaction. This may be a potential first step in a long journey to the holy grail of energy: Abundant carbon free power that produces no nuclear waste. (InterNewsCast)
January 24, 2023
How A&M grad, faculty played roles in December’s fusion breakthrough
When Yu Ding saw news about a nuclear fusion breakthrough last month, he grabbed his phone to show his daughter. Ding is a professor of industrial and systems engineering at Texas A&M University and associate director of the A&M Institute of Data Science. He was excited because he had played a small role in making the decades-long anticipated breakthrough happen. (The Eagle)
January 24, 2023
Photonics West shines light on optical innovation
Plenary sessions for the OPTO and LASE conferences include presentations on high-performance electronic–photonic interfaces, fully integrated photonic systems, and the recent breakthrough in laser fusion at the National Ignition Facility. (Physics World)
January 24, 2023
NIF Laser Systems Chief Engineer to Discuss Historic Fusion Ignition Achievement at Photonics West 2023
On Dec. 5, 2022, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory” (LLNL) Nuclear Ignition Facility (NIF) made history, demonstrating fusion ignition for the first time in a laboratory setting. (Tech Briefs)
January 24, 2023
Livermore Researchers Honored as Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program Fellows
The Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program (OSELP) has selected four Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists as 2023 fellows. (HPC Wire)
January 23, 2023
From “never” to now: NIF through the lens of 60 Minutes
“Star Power” is the name 60 Minutes producers gave their interpretation of the recent experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) that achieved fusion ignition and net gain. (Nuclear Newswire)
January 23, 2023
When Will Fusion Energy Light Our Homes?
One question for Thomas Nicholas, a computational plasma physicist and former fusion researcher who now studies climate science at Columbia University. (Nautilus)
January 22, 2023
‘Bottling the Sun’: Nuclear fusion as the newest breakthrough in clean energy
On December 5th, 2022, for the first time in nearly a century of controlled fusion research, scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory successfully generated a fusion reaction that produced more energy than that required to start the reaction. This process is called fusion ignition. (The Varsity)
January 22, 2023
A sun-like power source on Earth
Scientists in the United States recently achieved a breakthrough in nuclear fusion, which may enable a new source of clean energy. But there is a long road ahead before laser fusion reactors can feed a power plant. (Hindustan Times)
January 21, 2023
Breakthrough in nuclear fusion boosts clean power hope
Achieving nuclear fusion has long evaded scientists, until last December when the US National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced a significant breakthrough in nuclear fusion. (The Business Standard)
January 20, 2023
Czech physicist: Nuclear power can cause an energy revolution, it is a world change
We entered the industrial revolution, which used the knowledge of thermodynamics. Next came the digital revolution, i.e. the revolution that uses quantum mechanics and Maxwell’s equations. And this new energy revolution, which will use physics, said Milan Holec in Rozstel. (Czechia Posts English)
January 20, 2023
National Ignition Facility’s ignition milestone sparks fresh push for laser fusion
The feat created headlines around the world and stimulated the imagination of the public, politicians and fusion experts alike. (Physics World)
January 20, 2023
A ‘Breakthrough’ In Nuclear Fusion: What Does It Mean for the Future of Energy Generation?
Last month, scientists reported a breakthrough in nuclear fusion research when a reaction resulted in a net energy gain. (Earth.org)
January 19, 2023
Nuclear fusion’s future, according to the woman leading the charge
Inside the gigantic Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where in December, a breakthrough in nuclear fusion was made, the man who first predicted it still works — 60 years later. (World Economic Forum)
January 19, 2023
Can the latest fusion breakthrough bring economic benefits to the Tri-Valley?
The major discovery could see a surge of new investments and spinoff companies looking to capitalize on the revolutionary new technology. (San Francisco Business Times)
January 19, 2023
Vancouver’s energy future looks cleaner, greener, and carbon-emission free
Late last year, American scientists demonstrated a proof-of-concept straight out of a sci-fi novel. The same process that generates energy for the sun and other stars in outer space was replicated on Earth, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. (Vancouver Tech Journal)
January 19, 2023
DOE funds projects to work on overcoming fusion energy hurdles
In December, DOE announced that a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory had achieved fusion ignition, a breakthrough that captured headlines. (Power Engineering)
January 19, 2023
Can fusion technology be used to counter climate emergencies?
American researchers claim to have significantly improved their long-standing objective of harnessing nuclear fusion to produce electricity. (News9Live)
January 19, 2023
Obernolte counting chickens before they hatch
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories recently announced a successful fusion reaction that produced 3.15 MegaJoules (MJ) of energy from an input of 2.05 MJ of laser input energy. (Redlands Community News)
January 19, 2023
Lighting up the future with fusion
The fusion breakthrough accomplished late last year by the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a remarkable step forward on the road to commercial fusion power.
(Nuclear Engineering International)
January 19, 2023
Nuclear fusion energy breakthrough made in California
The National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California made a breakthrough by producing energy through nuclear fusion. (The Gauntlet)
January 18, 2023
Opinion | U.S. politics is awful — but our science and technology offer hope for the future
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced on Dec. 13 a breakthrough in harnessing nuclear fusion to produce cheap, clean, abundant energy. (Washington Post)
January 18, 2023
Energy Allocates Over $2 Million Following Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough
The U.S. government continues to invest in fusion power as the Department of Energy announced new funding for public-private partnerships. (Nextgov)
January 18, 2023
DOE Announces $2.3 Million for Public-Private Partnerships to Advance Fusion Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (Jan 17) announced $2.3 million in funding for 10 projects that will pair private industry with DOE’s National Laboratories to overcome challenges in fusion energy development, an area of research that captivated global attention in December when the Department announced that a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory had achieved fusion ignition. (Electric Energy Online)
January 18, 2023
Monroe County man part of science feat
A fusion science breakthrough decades in the making took place last month, and a Monroe County native played a substantial role in what could be a big step for clean energy. (Republic-Times)
January 18, 2023
Energy Tech: Nuclear Fusion, Solar Energy, Hydrogen and Lithium Projects
Energy technology has come a long way in recent years, with several promising developments aimed at creating a more sustainable future. Nuclear fusion, solar energy, hydrogen, and lithium have the potential to significantly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for a cleaner future. (DirectIndustry News)
January 17, 2023
Inside the nuclear fusion breakthrough that could be a step to unlimited clean energy in the distant future
Last month, the nearest star to the Earth was in California. In a laboratory, for the first time, the world’s largest lasers forced atoms of hydrogen to fuse together in the same kind of energy producing reaction that fires the sun. It lasted less than a billionth of a second. But, after six decades of toil and failure, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory proved it could be done. (CBS News: 60 Minutes)
January 17, 2023
Energy from fusion: What is the promise? What hurdles remain?
It’s a question that has been tantalizing scientists for almost a century: Can humans tap the same force that powers the stars? On Dec. 5, an experiment by scientists in California signaled yes. Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California produced a brief nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain, or more energy created than was used to start the reaction. (The Christian Science Monitor)
January 17, 2023
Massive Bishop Ranch solar project enters phase two
Following a breakthrough in the future of clean energy at Lawrence Livermore National Lab last month, the Tri-Valley is now set to house another one of the world’s most ambitious renewable energy projects to date, with thousands of new solar panels set for installation at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon. (DanvilleSanRamon.com)
January 17, 2023
Natural gas is about to become the world's biggest green energy source
Carbon capture will not be the only energy technology of the future. New, safer nuclear power plants will be in the mix. The development of a new magnet at MIT and the recent breakthrough at Lawrence Livermore point the way to clean, limitless fusion energy in the coming decades. (Washington Examiner)
January 17, 2023
International deal paves way for UK scientific industry expansion
Goodfellow, which recently delivered materials to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough that shook the world, will work with the Canadian company to build high purity alumina powders into its growing range. (Production Engineering Solutions)
January 17, 2023
A peek into the future as Sam Altman sees it
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory had a nuclear fusion breakthrough last month. (Televisor)
January 16, 2023
How America plans to generate one trillion watts electricity
Decades ago, America’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) began work on a scientific breakthrough that only became a reality on December 5, 2022. That day, a team at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. (The Nation)
January 16, 2023
PTC tech plays key role in Nuclear Fusion breakthrough
One of the UK’s leading digital transformation experts has played a key role in the recent Nuclear Fusion reaction breakthrough that generated more energy than it consumed. (Product Engineering Solutions)
January 16, 2023
3 Innovative Tech Trends to Watch in 2023
The importance of what the US scientists achieved last year can’t be stressed enough. For the first time in history, they successfully made energy with nuclear fusion. (TechTheLead)
January 16, 2023
Why combatting climate change means embracing degrowth
‘Green’ electricity isn’t enough to turn the tide. All of us need to consume less energy, argues Dr Catherine Knight — and that means consuming less of everything. (The Spinoff)
January 16, 2023
U.S. Department of Energy is Testing Materials For Building “Next Generation of Fusion Reactors”
A team of American physicists says they are working to build the world’s next generation of fusion reactors with the aim of generating clean, cost-effective carbon-free energy in the years ahead. (The Debrief)
January 16, 2023
Testing the universe in a lab
Last month, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced a breakthrough in fusion reactions, generating a net-gain in energy. An astrophysicist explains how this fusion research is helping them understand our universe, and the possibility for life on other planets. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
January 16, 2023
Exploring the Potential of Fusion Energy: What is it and How Can It Help?
Recent advances in fusion technology have ignited hopes of this form of energy becoming a key part of worldwide energy production as well as other applications within the next few decades. Power Electronics News)
January 16, 2023
Expert: Commercial Fusion Power Remains Distant
President Joe Biden’s goal of commercial fusion power within 10 years is “a pipe dream,” according to one expert. Newsmax)
January 15, 2023
Fusion power: how close are we? | FT Film
For the first time, US scientists have achieved a fusion reaction with net energy gain. But the dream of limitless zero-carbon energy is still a long way from reality. The FT’s Simon Mundy meets scientists and investors in the UK, France and US, to see how close we really are to commercial fusion power. Financial Times)
January 14, 2023
Los Alamos National Lab played role in fusion breakthrough
A profound breakthrough in nuclear fusion that moved scientists closer to emulating the sun’s energy came in a luminous flash quicker than a blink. (The Santa Fe New Mexican)
January 14, 2023
Unlimited, clean energy is a step closer to reality
Last month, 60 years of research finally culminated in a breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory that not only proved the concept but will prime the pump for the flow of private capital necessary to bring the promise to fruition. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
January 13, 2023
Video: Little Did I Know: Why fusion ignition discovery is a huge deal
What is arguably the biggest science breakthrough of the 21st century happened recently and the story never caught fire like it should have. At least that’s what our own Meteorologist Scott Elnes thought, so he decided to use his precious weekly airwaves allotment to get everyone up to speed without running too deeply into the scientific mud. (Central Oregon Daily News)
January 13, 2023
An Open Letter From A Liberal Arts Graduate
For instance, the news five weeks ago from the National Ignition Facility that, for the first time, a fusion reaction produced more energy than it consumed is pretty cool, don’t you think? My liberal arts studies made me aware of — and fascinated by — something that will not only change global energy production but, fundamentally, the world’s economy. (Forbes)
January 12, 2023
Is Carbon-Free Nuclear Fusion Energy Just Around the Corner?
About 800,000 years after humans first used and controlled fire, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility ignited a new kind of fire for the first time. (Earth 911)
January 11, 2023
After historic milestone in nuclear fusion, clean energy may be on the horizon
Audio: In December, scientists in California produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it. This historic first could lead to more advancements in clean energy. (Texas Public Radio)
January 11, 2023
Nuclear fusion dream moves closer to reality
The breakthrough in nuclear fusion toward the end of last year has brought fresh excitement to the international science community. (Energy Central)
January 11, 2023
Sticky tape for the energy transition: UK nuclear fusion startup snaps up superconductor tape
Interest in nuclear fusion has rocketed in the past couple of years, with record levels of investment flooding into this sub-sector of the energy industry, with last year capped off with the excitement around developments at the US National Ignition Facility. (Proactive)
January 10, 2023
International fusion energy project faces delays, says chief
An international project in nuclear fusion may face "years" of delays, its boss has told AFP, weeks after scientists in the United States announced a breakthrough in their own quest for the coveted goal. (Japan Today)
January 10, 2023
US fusion breakthrough reinforces the case against live nuclear tests, and India should take note
Last month’s fusion ignition breakthrough by scientists in the US reinforced the multilateral norm against live nuclear tests and advanced the earlier work of confining nuclear explosions to within simulation labs.
(South China Morning Post)
January 10, 2023
I’m a video game developer but this technology to drop your energy bill $820 per year is no fantasy
A major breakthrough in fusion energy occurred in 2022 thanks to US scientists. We have a revolutionary opportunity on our hands but Congress must act. (Fox News)
January 9, 2023
Column: Nuclear fusion is the energy source of the future
Last month, nuclear fusion topped headlines around the world when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced an essential milestone in developing this nascent technology. (Meadville Tribune)
January 9, 2023
WSU research leader sees opportunities in nuclear fusion
After 192 lasers blasted onto a bb-sized pellet of hydrogen to achieve nuclear fusion, Chris Keane celebrated along with thousands of researchers who all had a hand in this landmark scientific achievement.
(Energy Central)
January 9, 2023
Fusion reactors: Latest developments on the road to commercial power production
According to the Global Fusion Industry in 2022 report from the Fusion Industry Association, investment in private fusion companies has more than doubled over the last year. (NS Energy)
January 9, 2023
SCHOTT North America Appoints New President
SCHOTT has appointed Chris Cassidy president of SCHOTT North America. (US Glass News Network)
January 8, 2023
What will the fusion breakthrough do for space exploration?
The recent Lawrence Livermore breakthrough, in which scientists created more energy from a fusion reaction than it took to create it, has uses applicable to space exploration. (The Hill)
January 8, 2023
Aggies contribute to nuclear fusion breakthrough
Two former students employed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are among many people with ties to Texas A&M who played a part in the major scientific advancement. (Insite Brazos Valley Magazine)
January 8, 2023
Fusion technology will be a game changer in nuclear energy
If nothing, 2022 will be remembered for the momentous breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion energy coming 88 years after Italian scientist Enrico Fermi achieved nuclear fission. (The Week Magazine)
January 8, 2023
Adam Tooze: Why Nuclear Fusion Is Not the Holy Grail
A recent breakthrough is good news, but renewables are still the better bet.
(Foreign Policy)
January 8, 2023
Nuclear Fusion Reaches Historic Milestone
For the first time in human history, physicists achieved nuclear fusion at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) on December 5, 2022. (Twisted Sifter)
January 6, 2023
Seaport software company PTC expands reach with $1.5 billion deal
Boston software company PTC has its roots in computer-aided design applications that help companies engineer everything from automobiles to wind turbines to spacesuits, even the National Ignition Facility that just reported a major breakthrough in fusion energy. (Boston Globe)
January 6, 2023
Nuclear fusion breakthrough might change our world but current renewable energy sources will save it
On December 5, at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), part of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, 192 lasers were directed at a miniscule, frozen pellet of deuterium and tritium, heavier forms of hydrogen. (The Pointer)
January 6, 2023
Is Nuclear Fusion Hotter Than the Sun?
Nuclear fusion has been the talk of the town lately because of some milestone breakthroughs bringing us closer to a world with the possibility of infinite free energy. (Newsweek)
January 6, 2023
City of Science: Can a manmade star change how we live?
Last year, scientists made an artificial star. It was a tiny star and it lasted less than a billionth of a second, but it might just change how we all live. (Glasgow Evening Times)
January 6, 2023
2022 recap: IP, science and technology trends that shaped last year
One of the most notable technological developments has been the recent announcement that scientists at the National Ignition Facility have achieved nuclear fusion ignition, producing a hydrogen fusion reaction that released more energy than was required to initiate the reaction. (Lexicology)
January 6, 2023
WSU research leader sees opportunities in nuclear fusion
After 192 lasers blasted onto a bb-sized pellet of hydrogen to achieve nuclear fusion, Chris Keane celebrated along with thousands of researchers who all had a hand in this landmark scientific achievement. (WSU Insider)
January 6, 2023
Schott North America appoints President
Chris Cassidy has been appointed President of Schott North America in addition to his role as President of Schott Pharma USA. (Glass International)
January 6, 2023
Cold fusion news gets mixed reactions
In a breakthrough trumpeted throughout the world, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California recently “surpassed the fusion threshold by delivering 2.05 megajoules of energy to the target, resulting in 3.15 MJ of fusion energy output and demonstrating for the first time a most fundamental science basis for inertial fusion energy,” they said. (Odessa American)
January 5, 2023
Nuclear fusion: The bet that Europe should have won
When the US Department of Energy announced last month that the first positive-energy nuclear fusion operation at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California had been conducted using inertial confinement fusion technology — which consists of bombarding hydrogen plasma with super-powerful lasers — it marked an historic event. (Sifted)
January 5, 2023
Fusion: A technology always 30 years away
Last month, researchers at the National Ignition Facility in California made a significant breakthrough in energy research. (The Irish Times)
January 5, 2023
Fusion Energy at a Crossroads
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced to much fanfare earlier this month that scientists have reached a major milestone in fusion energy research. (The Heritage Foundation)
January 5, 2023
The Geopolitics of Nuclear Fusion
On December 5th, a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved ignition, creating a nuclear reaction which generates more energy than it consumes. (Georgetown Security Studies Review)
January 4, 2023
Is nuclear fusion the next big trend in renewable energy?
A breakthrough in nuclear fusion changed the game for future clean energy generation. But are nuclear-powered neighborhoods in our immediate future? (GreenBiz)
January 4, 2023
Point: Nuclear Fusion Is the Energy Source of the Future
Last month, nuclear fusion topped headlines around the world when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced an essential milestone in developing this nascent technology. (DC Journal)
January 4, 2023
Watch: How close are we to getting energy from nuclear fusion?
On December 13, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, US, announced that it had achieved a ‘net energy gain’ — got out more energy than was put in — by fusion. (Hindu Business Line)
January 3, 2023
Nuclear Fusion: A Greener Future?
The US Department of Energy announced a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. It is an unprecedented triumph in the field of nuclear energy. (Global Village Space)
January 3, 2023
Humanity is seizing the future
With huge breakthroughs in biotechnology, space exploration and nuclear fusion, 2022 laid the groundwork for the next century of innovation. (Spiked)
January 3, 2023
Lawrence Livermore fusion experiment achieves energy break-even
On December 5, a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment to achieve energy break-even; meaning, it produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. (Electrical Business)
January 3, 2023
France’s Nuclear Energy Grid Is the Toast of Europe, But It’s Not Enough to Save Everyone
With scientific-breakeven achieved by the National Ignition Facility in California last year, expect the ITER facility to achieve similar success sometime in the near future. (Auto Evolution)
January 3, 2023
Commentary: Fusion energy isn’t going to solve today’s climate problem
As a researcher involved in fusion energy development for over five decades, I have read with interest the many articles written about the recent results achieved at the National Ignition Facility at Livermore, California.
(Albany Times Union)
January 2, 2023
Why fusion ignition is being hailed as a major breakthrough in fusion
American scientists have announced what they have called a major breakthrough in a long-elusive goal of creating energy from nuclear fusion. (Salon)
January 2, 2023
Sky Matters: Without thermonuclear fusion there is no me —or you
There has been a lot of news coverage recently about “thermonuclear fusion” following a successful demonstration of its capabilities at the Lawrence Livermore laboratories in the US. (Irish Examiner)
January 2, 2023
Commentary: Fusion dreams have broken many hearts, but finally there is hope
While the rafters are ringing with praise for the nuclear fusion breakthrough at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, let me inject a sour note. This isn’t the beginning of cheap, safe, nonpolluting electricity. It is a scientific milestone, not an electricity one. (The Post and Courier)
January 1, 2023
Six good reasons for optimism in 2023
After a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion this month, investors are pouring money into companies that want to harness the type of energy that powers the sun and stars. (Khaleej Times)
January 1, 2023
Fusion breakthrough could one day change the world
Scientists made a breakthrough in nuclear fusion earlier last December in a California laboratory. (Korea Times)
