European Research Roadmap to the Realisation of Fusion Energy
Worldwide, many countries are investing in fusion research and development, driven by an ever-rising energy demand of a growing population as well as by growing GDPs in developing countries. Ensuring competitiveness and securing our energy supplies is of prime concern but is only sustainable when combined with combating climate change. Energy sources that are carbon-free and sustainable are therefore crucial for our future prosperity and well-being. For the European Union, achieving clean energy is a high priority. Efforts towards this goal are spearheaded by the Energy Union strategy.1 It recognises fusion energy as a potential long-term solution and understands that Europe needs to remain at the forefront of developing fusion technologies. In Europe, the road to fusion energy focusses on using magnetically confined plasmas at temperatures above 100 million degrees Celsius and with long enough duration for commercial use. Although, in laboratory settings, hot plasmas at these temperatures are routinely confined by strong magnetic fields, challenges remain in creating the right conditions for generating fusion energy on Earth. Fusion is the most extensively studied idea for a low-carbon primary energy source; it can be a new source that can deliver base-load electricity and complement intermittent low-carbon energy sources that are already being exploited.
The benefits of fusion power
The fusion fuel is abundant. Tritium can be produced from lithium, a metal ubiquitous in the Earth’s crust and in seawater. There is also enough deuterium dissolved in natural water to fuel fusion power plants for tens of thousands of years without risk of shortages or monopoly of supply. The fusion power plant is inherently safe: less than a gramme of fuel makes up the plasma, which rapidly extinguishes itself in case of any malfunction. Deuterium-tritium reactions release neutrons which will activate wall materials. The resulting radioactive by-products are short-lived and decay in a period of about 100 years, to a level comparable to that of the waste from coal power plants. The benefits of fusion power as a carbon-free, sustainable energy source to complement renewables are persuasive arguments in favour of fusion.
The road to fusion electricity
Three stages to design fusion power plants
Near term
- Construction of ITER;
- Research & Development in support of ITER;
- Deuterium-tritium operation of JET;
- Concept Design phase of DEMO;
- Research & Development for DEMO;
- Construction of a fusion materials testing facility, IFMIF-DONES;
- Scientific and technological exploitation of the stellarator concept.
Medium term
- First scientific and technological exploitation of ITER;
- First exploitation of IFMIF-DONES;
- Engineering Design phase of DEMO with industrial involvement;
- Development of power plant materials and technologies Possible further development of the stellarator concept.
Long term
- High performance and advanced technology results from ITER;
- Qualify long-life materials for DEMO and power plants with IFMIF-DONES;
- Finalisation of the design of DEMO;
- Construction of DEMO;
- Demonstration of electricity generation;
- Commercialisation of technologies and materials;
- Deployment of fusion together with industry.
