Writer: Nehir Yel
In the current year, tremendous achievements regarding energy have been achieved. The studies on solving the world's energy problem with nuclear fusion, on which studies have been carried out for nearly half a century, have begun to yield results. One of these studies, the EAST project (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) conducted by China, which resonated in the media as "Artificial Sun," was able to keep nuclear reactors at a temperature of about five times that of the Sun for 1056 seconds. Many consider this achievement a “revolution” on the climate crisis.
The success of this project promises risky but redeeming results for our future. As we know, there are many ways in which energy can be produced. These are divided into two: renewable and non-renewable energies. When one hears of an experiment on nuclear power, the things that come to mind are not very positive. Unlike cases like Chornobyl’s terrifying consequences of the disintegration of the nucleus, the energy formed as a result of the fusion of nuclei is a nature-friendly method, according to scientists.
In this project, which we regard as evolution, not revolution, a lot of information about the project details is kept secret. Still, we know that the project was done by utilizing the "Tokamak" experiment, from which it got its name. So what is the Tokamak experiment? The Tokamak experiment is a magnetic coil toroidal chamber experiment created by Soviet physicists in the 1950s. Thanks to the conditions provided by this experiment, matter can be converted into plasma. Turning the matter into plasma provides an environment where fusion reactions can take place with less energy.
Global warming is increasing at a faster rate than we expected. Unfortunately, we cannot say that the decisions taken and the agreements made in this regard are very effective. In this century, when climate change threatens us more, studies on this project, which is not harmful to nature and can solve the energy problem of all humanity, are continuing. After the results of this enormous experiment, many countries, including “China, South Korea, the USA, Russia, Japan, India, and the European Union countries”, began to invest in these studies. Although some believe that this project is risky and useless, the number of people who have expectations and hopes for this project to save our future is increasing day by day.
Sources:
1. What is renewable energy? (n.d.). United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-renewable-energy
2. Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (2022). Wikipedia