Nuclear fusion worth further commitment, but cannot contribute to mid-century climate targets – researchers

Nuclear fusion technology has the potential to provide long-term climate-friendly energy and reduce import dependencies - but it cannot contribute to mid-century climate targets because it will take at least 20-25 years until a first power plant is built, said researchers from Energy Systems of the Future (ESYS), an initiative of the German Academies of Sciences. In a report about the opportunities, challenges and time scale regarding the contribution nuclear fusion could make to mitigating climate change, the researchers say that while the physical principles are clear, practical challenges include efforts to increase the energy yield, producing the fuel tritium, and developing particularly resistant materials and high-performance lasers.

"Overall, a further commitment to nuclear fusion seems sensible," said the report. "However, this must not diminish the efforts and measures for the transformation of the energy system towards greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045 or 2050." Rather, both strategies should complement each other and thus jointly contribute to a secure, sovereign industrial location for Germany and Europe in the long term, said the researchers. Germany is aiming for climate neutrality in 2045, while the EU target is 2050.

The German research ministry has been promoting nuclear fusion and recently introduced a new support programme to lay the groundwork for building the country’s first functioning fusion reactor for energy generation by 2040. Compared to existing power plants based on nuclear fission, nuclear fusion has a lower risk potential, partly because there is no danger of an uncontrollable chain reaction. However, investment needs for the development and later the construction of fusion plants are very big.