Scientists Are Now 43 Seconds Closer to Producing Limitless Energy – A twisted reactor in Germany just smashed a nuclear fusion record.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a65432654/wendelstein-7x-germany-stellarator-fusion-record/
Scientists Are Now 43 Seconds Closer to Producing Limitless Energy – A twisted reactor in Germany just smashed a nuclear fusion record.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a65432654/wendelstein-7x-germany-stellarator-fusion-record/
27 Comments
From the article
In a recent experiment, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics sustained a stable plasma reaction in the Wendelstein 7-X for 43 seconds, reaching the “[triple product](https://usfusionenergy.org/science-fusion)” performance level that’s required for viable nuclear fusion and achieving the all-time best results for any stellarator.
Maybe 43 seconds doesn’t sound like much, but it’s now the longest plasma duration *ever* in nuclear fusion, including tokamaks. Previously, the now-defunct JT60U Tokamak in Japan and the JET European Tokamak in the U.K—which boasted triple the plasma volume—held the records for plasma duration.
What stocks can I look at to possibly invest in for fusion?
What about the EAST project in China – Maybe that’s not the same thing?
Every 43 seconds we are 43 seconds closer to “insert energy milestone here”
Might have sounded like a cool title but it’s kinda stupid unless you know sustaining a reaction for 43 seconds is impressive
Hmm google says previous record is 1337 seconds on February 12 2025
One of many sources: https://phys.org/news/2025-02-nuclear-fusion-west-machine-world.html
This is a very bad article for laymen with numerous errors and oversimplifications.
I eagerly await the day when I get to begin paying a monthly subscription for this unlimited energy.
It’s funny it comes from Germany. I thought we were stoked to get by with wind and sun…in Germany.
I’ve been following this story with bated breath…since 1951. Any day now!
I’m gonna get ahead of this and say RIP to those scientists who tried to cut into the bottom line
– signed Shell, BP, Exxon, Chevron, Saudi Aramco
If it’s just 43 seconds, why can’t they just wait for that time and announce that they have achieved limitless energy?
That’s huge! 43 seconds of plasma—fusion energy is getting real. Clean, endless power might not be far off!
I remember last time they were just about to discover “fusion reactors” I’ll believe it when it happens
‘Sustainable commercial fusion just 15 years from now’, every year for the last 60+ years
This is kind of confusing. They keep saying it’s a record, but it’s not a record of any one measure. It’s neither the longest duration, (which I believe is now 20 minutes and held by a tokamak in France) nor the highest triple product (the product of temperature, density, and time), but it is the longest duration for a run with such a high triple product and visa versa. I also think these results predate the record run from that French tokamak, so I really don’t know how those compare. [here’s the article from the Max Plank Institute.](https://www.ipp.mpg.de/5532945/w7x?c=14226)
While confinement time matters, the most important metric is energy input vs output. If they did not have sufficient plasma burn it is just a fusor which is not very novel. We know how to waste energy with fusion but not how to make surplus which is the goal, still.
Decades ago, I viewed fusion as the holy grail of limitless energy that’ll revolutionize society and bring in an era lacking in want. I definite don’t believe that anymore now that I’m older. Solar is getting there in terms of cheap and limitless energy. Once fusion comes online, I suspect it’ll be bought up by big tech to power ai centers and that’ll get prioritied.
I think a friend of mine made a good point when he declared that the problem is no longer a theoretical one, it’s just an absurdly complicated engineering one. At least the latter is solvable. Eventually. Hopefully.
It’s been an hour since this was posted, did I miss it?
Fusion energy – The energy of the future, and always will be.
So, only 29 years, 364 days, and 86,357 seconds to go.
Was it TOTAL energy efficient? Q gained > Q input(total) ?
They have been saying we are close for 50 years, maybe in 100 years we get there, until then oil from the Middle East!
Yea… Do what you want .. i go install more solar panels und use the giant fusion ball in the sky.
43 seconds today might turn into hours tomorrow. Big respect to the scientists
CIA (on behalf of the oil companies) is going to kill all and any effort in this regard.
“Eww he’s so twisted ladies and gentlemen, he *did fusion* talk about a real sicko”