Title: Fusion Energy Description: Fusion energy has long promised to be a potentially transformative source of energy that avoids some of the risks and environmental impacts that other energy sources produce. But the advancement of this technology still faces fundamental challenges. We'll learn more from GAO's Brian Bothwell. Related GAO Work: GAO-23-105813, Fusion Energy: Potentially Transformative Technology Still Faces Fundamental Challenges Released: March 2023 [Music] [Brian Bothwell:] It's estimated that about one ton of fusion fuel would produce the same amount of energy as 7 million tons of oil. [Holly Hobbs:] Hi and welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm your host, Holly Hobbs. Fusion energy has long promised to be a potentially transformative source of energy that avoids some of the risks and environmental impacts that other energy sources have produced. But despite the billions of dollars in private investments and federal grants, the advancement of this technology still faces fundamental challenges. We'll learn more about the promise and challenges of fusion energy, as well as about recent breakthroughs, from GAO's Brian Bothwell, an expert on technology readiness. Thanks for joining us. [Brian Bothwell:] Thanks for having me, Holly. [Holly Hobbs:] So Brian, what exactly is fusion energy and what could it do? [Brian Bothwell:] So it's the process that powers the sun. It requires extreme heat and pressure to cause two atoms, to fuse together into a heavier atom. When that happens, an enormous amount of energy is produced. If we were to compare fusion energy output to that of oil, for example, it's estimated that about one ton of fusion fuel would produce the same amount of energy as 7 million tons of oil. And fusion doesn't create greenhouse gas emissions. So it could provide us abundant, and safe, and low-carbon electricity. [Holly Hobbs:] And what's sort of the current status of fusion energy efforts? [Brian Bothwell:] So scientists have been working on fusion energy for decades, and we finally have some recent key advancements. An experiment that was conducted last year at the National Ignition Facility generated more energy than was spent to start the fusion reaction. And that's a first. So these advances have really increased interest from the federal government and they resulted in new funding from the private sector. [Holly Hobbs:] Fusion energy has been discussed as the energy solution, or the future of energy, for quite a long time. What's holding up its use? [Brian Bothwell:] Well, there are a number of technical challenges that have to be overcome. One challenge is getting to the point where the energy produced by a fusion power plant exceeds the amount of energy needed to operate that plant. If we can't get to that point, then fusion energy is not going to be economically viable. A second challenge is developing new materials that will be able to withstand the extreme conditions within the fusion reactor. Experts don't believe any existing materials can do this for sustained fusion plant operations. And the third challenge is fusion fuel production. Experts say we're at least a decade away from having fusion energy power plants providing electricity to our grid. So some of those challenges include proving technology at commercial scales and ensuring that fusion fuels can be produced in sufficient quantities for commercial use. It's likely that the fusion fuels that we'll use in the future will be deuterium and tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen. But while deuterium is very plentiful, tritium is not. So we'll need to find ways to produce more tritium. [Holly Hobbs:] Brian, you mentioned that a recent breakthrough has led to increased federal and private-sector interest. What is the federal role versus private sector one in developing fusion energy? [Brian Bothwell:] The federal government has funded basic fusion energy research for decades--primarily through the national labs and also through an international fusion demonstration plant that's being built in France. Private sector has focused on addressing the technology and engineering gaps that must be overcome to develop and commercialize fusion energy systems. And while there is some overlap between public and private effort, some experts acknowledge the value of federal funding for basic research, while also making the case that maybe more federal involvement is needed in the technology and engineering areas that could help speed the development of fusion. {MUSIC} [Holly Hobbs:] So Brian just told us that fusion energy could be a more effective and cleaner source of energy than current sources. But that it faces a number of challenges--including some related to economics, safety, and scalability. Brian, in our assessment of this technology, we also looked at some policy options for addressing challenges. What options did we identify? [Brian Bothwell:] So we identified four options. The first one is the status quo, just a sustainment of current efforts. Now this could save money and limit risk, but it can also delay the development of fusion energy. Second option is to better align efforts such as expanding the use of public-private partnerships and accelerating research on materials. Third, we talked about enhancing fusion community asset building, such as supporting workforce development, identifying sources of critical materials. Those efforts would help prevent limitations in those areas in the future from slowing fusion development. And the fourth option we talked about was non-technical, is public engagement. Studying public opinion and public education about fusion could aid communities and understand the technology in advance of the time time when we actually go to build fusion energy power plants in communities. [Holly Hobbs:] Last question, Brian, what's the bottom line of this report? [Brian Bothwell:] The bottom line, Holly, is that fusion energy could be a transform massive way to produce abundant and safe electricity. But many challenges still need to be overcome before we'll be able to power our electrical grid from fusion. [Holly Hobbs:] That was Brian Bothwell talking about GAO's new report on fusion energy. Thanks for your time, Brian. [Brian Bothwell:] Thank you. [Holly Hobbs:] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To hear more podcasts, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen and make sure to leave a rating and review to let others know about the work we're doing. 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