Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reports net energy gain from fusion reactor . Scientists at the lab say they have achieved a net energy gain from an experimental fusion reactor .
After news broke that a federal lab had recently achieved a major milestone in nuclear fusion research, the US Department of Energy announced on Sunday that it would make a major scientific breakthrough this week.Scientists at the California-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) reported on Sunday that they had achieved a net energy gain from an experimental fusion reactor, according to the Financial Times.That would be the first time researchers have successfully produced more energy in a fusion reaction — the same as the Sun — than was consumed during the process, a potentially significant step in the pursuit of zero-carbon power.Speaking to AFP, Energy Department and LLNL spokespeople said they were unable to comment or confirm the FT study, but that US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm would announce a major scientific breakthrough on Tuesday.
When the process is complete, we're looking forward to sharing more on Tuesday, she said.According to the FT, the fusion reaction that led to a 120 percent net energy increase occurred in the last two weeks, citing three individuals familiar with the preliminary findings.The Washington Post revealed later that two people familiar with the research confirmed the hypothesis, with a senior fusion scientist telling the journal: It was just a matter of time, according to the paper.Nuclear fusion is regarded as a future energy by some researchers, particularly because it produces no waste and no greenhouse gases. Fusion is different from fission, which is widely used in nuclear power plants, by combining two atomic nuclei instead of splitting one.The LLNL fusion plant consists of almost 200 lasers the size of three football fields, which bombard a small area with high energy to initiate a fusion reaction.