Nuclear power is a major source of global energy production. Although nuclear energy currently accounts for 19% of energy production in the United States, this figure will decline as older reactors are retired. In order for nuclear energy to produce a greater portion of global electricity, future reactors must become more cost efficient.

The Breakthrough Institute, an energy and environmental think tank, recently released a report discussing the merits of different advanced nuclear technologies and a process of rapid innovation moving forward. The institute asserted that although nuclear power has played a large role in the U.S. energy mix for several decades, the key to its future is bringing down costs. They outlined several important factors for cheap nuclear energy, which include safety, modularity, readiness, and efficiency. While it is important to pursue technologies that are commercially viable and deployable, the institute suggests that policy makers not commit to single designs. Instead, policymakers should commit to expansive nuclear innovation aimed at a wide range of designs.

The report then discusses the merits of nine different advanced nuclear reactor designs. Most of these advanced reactors are so-called Generation IV designs that include metal, salt, and gas-cooled designs, high-temperature reactors, and breeder reactors. All of these reactor technologies offer improvements over older designs, including water recycling, modularity, protection against weapons proliferation, more-abundant fuels, and safety measures.

While discussing various Generation IV designs, the report suggests that  Molten Salt Fast Reactors, Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors,  and Salt-Cooled Thermal Reactors are the most suitable and feasible designs  for near-future nuclear reactors. Despite promises of cost efficient nuclear energy, Generation IV reactors will not reach commercialization for many more years due to the current pace of research and innovation.

The report also discusses fusion energy, the “holy grail” of energy research. In comparison to fission nuclear reactors, fusion energy promises clean energy with no nuclear waste, no weapons materials, abundant fuels, and on-demand baseload power. There is no risk of a meltdown due to fusion reactions, and reactions stop immediately under a loss of power.

Fusion research has yet to achieve a reaction that produces more energy out than was put in, but there are several large-scale international projects working on both magnetic confinement and laser confinement fusion projects. The report also discusses a third type of fusion reaction, called anuetronic fusion, in which high-energy neutrons are not released during reactions. This will allow reactors to utilize less advanced materials, simplify safety precautions, and produce less long-term radioactive material, but the process is significantly more challenging from a scientific perspective as reactions require up to 20 times more pressure and temperatures.

While fusion energy may require several more years of research and development, scientists have made significant progress within the last 15 years. The successful demonstration of fusion energy will be as important as the creation of fission nuclear energy, and it will likely revolutionize America’s economy, but this will require a renewed dedication towards research and development into technologies that will define our future.

Many of the U.S.’s leading high-tech competitors like China, Japan, Germany, and France are making aggressive investments into fusion energy. Meanwhile, the U.S. is considering budget cuts to the fusion program, which will cause irreparable harm to fusion development. If the U.S. fails to invest in fusion research, America will fall behind the rest of the world.

To read ASP’s fact sheet on “International Progress on Fusion Energy,” click here.

To read ASP’s fact sheet on “Fusion Energy,” click here.

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