Scientists achieve world-record feat in pursuit of limitless clean energy — here’s what you need to know

In the pursuit of endless clean energy from nuclear fusion, Japan and Europe have just set a joint record for the largest amount of plasma contained in one apparatus, Interesting Engineering reports.

The apparatus is called a tokamak, a donut-shaped chamber that uses magnetic fields to control the super-hot plasma reactions inside.

The experimental JT-60SA, touted as the world’s largest tokamak, was confirmed by Guinness World Records as having reached a plasma volume of 160 cubic meters (about 5,650 cubic feet), blowing the previous record of 100 cubic meters out of the water. 

A press release reported that JT-60SA uses superconductor coils cooled to -269 degrees Celsius (about -452 degrees Fahrenheit) to confine plasma, which in turn can reach 100 million degrees Celsius (about 180 million degrees Fahrenheit) — significantly hotter than the sun’s interior temperature according to NASA.

Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum and Science and Technology (QST) reported the achievement, Interesting Engineering revealed. Working together with European researchers, QST is trying to develop a practical way to deploy fusion energy.

Fusion is the “holy grail” of clean energy. Wind and solar can only produce energy at certain times, whereas a fusion reactor could run night and day and work in any weather. Unlike a nuclear fission power plant, fusion wouldn’t produce the same type of long-lived, dangerous radioactive waste. 

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And unlike the dirtiest energy sources — fuels such as coal and oil — fusion wouldn’t produce the heat-trapping air pollution that is warming our planet. It would be a source of bountiful, cheap, eco-friendly electricity, and it’s closer than ever to becoming a reality. 

That said, experts caution that the commercialization of fusion as an energy source could still be decades away.

Interesting Engineering reported that QST will apply its findings from JT-60SA to fusion reactors, including the ITER and future DEMO units. The institute hopes to provide commercially available fusion energy as soon as possible. The data from these current experiments will be incredibly useful for building larger reactors for sustained operation — perhaps eventually providing energy the world can rely on.

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