We’ll never achieve unlimited energy. And for that perhaps we should be grateful.
By Crawford Kilian, The Tyee
The media went wild on Dec. 13 when American scientists and officials reported the first instance of hydrogen fusion that actually produced more energy than they had pumped into it. By slamming hydrogen atoms together inside a tiny diamond shell, the force of 192 high-powered lasers had created helium and 3.15 megajoules of excess energy — “the equivalent,” according to one report, “of about three sticks of dynamite.”

The test had been conducted on Dec. 5 at the National Ignition Facility of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, east of the San Francisco Bay Area. The NIF promptly issued a long news release praising the scientists “whose work will help us solve humanity’s most complex and pressing problems, like providing clean power to combat climate change and maintaining a nuclear deterrent without nuclear testing.”
That nuclear-deterrent line said the quiet part out loud, just as a U.S. government official had in the press conference about the test. Marvin Adams, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s deputy director for defense programs, made it clear at the press conference that this and future tests would help in the design of better nuclear weapons, thereby enhancing the credibility of U.S. deterrence. Oh, and yes, we might someday see “basically unlimited” carbon-free energy.
Recent Posts
Majid Khan Released from Guantánamo After 16 Years
February 2, 2023
Take Action Now Mr. Khan is only the sixth man transferred by the Biden administration and the first resettled in a third country. His transfer marks…
“We’re Still Gonna Say No”: Inside UnitedHealthcare’s Effort To Deny Coverage To Chronically Ill Patient
February 2, 2023
Take Action Now After a college student finally found a treatment that worked, the insurance giant decided it wouldn’t pay for the costly drugs. His…
Uh Oh, Here Comes The Occupying Army
February 2, 2023
Take Action Now Police in Norway “spend one year studying society and ethics, another shadowing officers, and a final year focusing on investigations…
Palestinians File Objection To US Plan To Build New Embassy On Stolen Land In Jerusalem
February 1, 2023
Take Action Now The objection has been filed on behalf of descendants of the original Palestinian owners, from whom the land was confiscated soon…