Star power

Fossil fuel was abundant once upon a time. Not anymore. The search is on for a new source of energy which is clean and abundant.

Some argue that nuclear power could be the answer. Nuclear is the best technology available, they say, for producing reliable, carbon-free electricity at base-load scale. Critics insist that nuclear power will indeed help us reduce CO2 emissions, but only at a high cost and to a very limited extent.

Leaving that argument aside, the next question is how abundant is the fuel, and what about the waste? Terrestrial Uranium found in the earth’s crust, if used at current rates will last for 100 years and if nuclear were the sole energy powering earthlings, it will last 15 years. But there exists an ‘inexhaustible’ supply in seawater which could eventually be tapped and provide energy for all for 1000s of years, claim some!

As to waste, all the waste generated to date will hardly fill a single football stadium, say the proponents. Anyway, advanced nuclear fuel recycling technologies are being developed which reduce the volume, heat and toxicity of used fuel and also recover the unused energy that remains in the fuel.

Now, the laser facility at Livermore lab in California is all set to begin its experiments with nuclear truth. Using very high laser energy, they plan to make hydrogen fuse in a reaction similar to what happens in stars. The small amount of hydrogen pellet will reach a temperature of 100 million °C and a density 100 times that of lead, which is enough to start a fusion reaction.

While the output is ten times greater than the energy of the lasers, the aim is to multiply it further so that the energy spent in creating the lasers is discounted. For this, the scientists are toying with the idea of fusing this experiment with fission (what happens in our nuclear reactors.) The stream of neutrons from the fusion can not only extract more energy out of the fission fuel (normally only 1 percent of its energy is used!) but also decrease the waste substantially.

Laser focus, containment process, sustainable fusion, etc are technical hurdles but the scientists are focused!

What do you think? Will star power be the future of energy?