California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has recreated the nuclear fusion breakthrough it achieved last year. For the second time, LLNL physicists and engineers have achieved net energy gain through fusion, a process that’s historically consumed more energy than it’s produced. According to a spokesperson for the lab, this iteration of the experiment produced more energy than the first time.
The initial achievement was rumored late last year when someone familiar with LLNL’s National Ignition Facility told CNN the lab had produced net energy gain via nuclear fusion. US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm quickly scheduled a press conference at LLNL for the next day, hinting at a “major scientific breakthrough.” On Tuesday, Dec. 13, Granholm confirmed that California’s scientists had indeed achieved nuclear ignition, resulting in a net gain of 1.1 megajoules (MJ) of energy.
Though far from the type of energy needed to power an entire electrical grid, the experiment’s results were encouraging, and LLNL scientists set about working toward a reaction that would produce even more energy. They’ve since succeeded. An LLNL spokesperson told The Guardian on Monday that on July 30, the lab produced a higher energy yield than it did in December. However, the final results of the experiment are still being assessed.
Without details regarding the experiment’s net output, it’s difficult to know whether the lab has made significant strides since its December accomplishment. But every step in the nuclear ignition research process is useful, whether or not it’s more successful than the last. As National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) administrator Jill Hruby said last year, there will be a series of "breakthroughs" and "setbacks" in the development of nuclear fusion technology from here on out. Each of those experiences will help scientists as they work toward an output that can sustain residences, businesses, and public equipment.
This is expected to take quite some time. While exciting, a net gain of 1.1 MJ isn’t a lot of energy; it’ll power the average home for maybe half an hour before petering out. Scaling up the technology to support the electrical grid will require increasingly powerful lasers—and more of them.
