Benefits of Fusion
The website One Joule at a Time did a quick look at the benefits of fusion over fission. While conventional nuclear power (fission) has a strong role to play in the energy mix today and into the future, the energy mix for the next-generation needs to incorporate fusion. Why? From the article:
Advantages of Nuclear Fusion
- It’s clean: Nuclear fusion is absolutely carbon-free. According to the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE), the only thing that nuclear fusion emits is helium, which is about as environmentally harmful as butterflies.
- It’s safe: No nuclear reactions means no radioactivity; or very, very little radioactivity. The little that is produced is actually recyclable and if it’s not recycled it dissipates safely in 100 years. CCFE also says that the small amounts of fuel used eliminate the risk of major nuclear accidents.
- It’s energy efficient: Small amounts of fusion fuel produce massive amounts of energy.
- It’s reliable: It might not be renewable, technically speaking, like solar or wind power, but there is no risk of the world running out of nuclear fusion resources, as with coal and oil (Wikipedia).
To read the full article, click here.
