Fusion's Promise: How Technological Breakthroughs in Nuclear Fusion Can Conquer Climate Change on Earth (And Carry Humans To Mars, Too)

Scientists and engineers have been trying to build practical devices that exploit nuclear fusion for over 60 years. Nuclear fusion, the energy-producing process in the sun and stars, could provide the answer to the global problem of burning fossil fuels. This book provides clear explanations for readers interested in new energy technologies, including those with no formal training in science or engineering. It covers long-established fusion technologies and emerging and exotic methods, and explains how the idea could eventually constitute the single greatest engineering advance in human history.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 01 April 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

Scientists and engineers have been tirelessly striving for over six decades to solve an enigmatic challenge: the development of practical devices that harness the power of nuclear fusion. The advent of electricity has revolutionized our lives, enabling a level of comfort and prosperity that was once unimaginable. However, as the global population continues to expand and developing nations embrace electrification, we confront a pressing global dilemma: the predominant use of fossil fuels currently accounts for approximately eighty percent of the world's energy production, resulting in the emission of greenhouse gases that trap outgoing infrared radiation and contribute to the warming of our planet. Unless we drastically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in the coming decades, dire environmental consequences loom.

Nuclear fusion, the energy-producing process observed in the sun and stars, holds the potential to provide a solution: if successfully harnessed on Earth, it can generate electricity with near-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) byproducts by utilizing the nuclei in water as its primary fuel. The fundamental principles underlying fusion are well understood, but the technology remains far from fully realized. Governments, universities, and venture capitalists are investing substantial sums of money in a multitude of ideas, some of which are highly speculative, with the hope of developing functioning fusion reactors.

This book serves as a comprehensive compilation of all these endeavors, presenting clear explanations for readers interested in emerging energy technologies, regardless of their formal scientific or engineering backgrounds. For each of the diverse approaches to fusion, the reader will delve into the origins of the approach, its operation in straightforward language, the engineering behind experimental tests, the prospects for the future, and its comparison with other methods. From well-established fusion technologies to emerging and unconventional approaches, the reader will gain a comprehensive understanding of the concept that has the potential to revolutionize our energy landscape.

Weight: 457g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031229053
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023