Fusion energy - a viable alternative

Wednesday 16 August 2006

A world renowned nuclear fusion scientist from the European Commission in Belgium has shared with a Newcastle audience, a 'clean' way forward to combat the deepening international energy crisis.

The University of Newcastle today hosted Dr Barry Green, who discussed the fusion process, its advantages as a source of energy, the nature and history of fusion research and development, and the ITER project (ITER is the Latin word for 'the way').

ITER is a joint international research and development project that aims to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power. The partners in the project are the European Union, Japan, China, India, Korea, Russia and the USA.

In a fusion reaction, atomic nuclei fuse together, releasing a large amount of energy, which is the energy source of the sun and stars.

Fusion research is aimed at demonstrating that this energy source can be used to produce electricity in a safe way, through a sustainable energy mix.

"Fusion energy is a zero greenhouse gas emitting technology which offers millions of years of energy and a sustainable future," said Dr Green.

"While Australia is blessed with significant resources of primary energy, the enormity of climate change arguably requires research into diverse, sustainable energy technologies. If Australia doesn't engage with nuclear options, especially fusion, it runs the risk of being left behind. The Prime Minister's call for an enquiry on these issues is a step towards putting Australia back on the cutting edge in this field."

The fusion process was first discovered by an Australian, Sir Mark Oliphant, in the early 1930s and the University of Newcastle is a key player in lobbying for Australia's involvement in ITER.

Professor John O'Connor from the University of Newcastle's Faculty of Science and Information Technology said Australia needs to act on fusion power.

"There is a worldwide movement towards alternative energy sources. We need to give serious thought to how Australia can be involved before we get left behind," he said. "Newcastle can make a valuable contribution to this research through its materials expertise which will have valuable spin-offs to other industrial applications."