Nuclear Fusion: The Race to Build a Mini-Sun on Earth

by Sharon Ann Holgate

The thrilling scientific quest for almost limitless clean energy from nuclear fusion Since the 1950s, scientists have attempted to harness nuclear fusion – the process that creates the Sun’s energy – to generate near-limitless amounts of electricity. But the fact that we still have no fusion power plants is testament to the complexities of the challenge. Now, the deepening climate crisis means that researchers around the world are in a race to create a mini-Sun here on Earth. The glittering prize is an energy source that emits no greenhouse gases and could solve energy equity and supply issues at a stroke. Sharon Ann Holgate, a former Young Professional Physicist of the Year, tells the compelling story of the ongoing scientific quest for a revolutionary new era of green energy production.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Technology

176 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2022

Reviews

[Brian Clegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nuclear fusion should, in principle, be the perfect addition to renewables as we move away from greenhouse gas generating energy sources. Yet, more than 60 years after it was first suggested, we still don't have a single working nuclear fusion power station. (If, as the subtitle suggests, this has been a race, it has been a walking backwards three-legged race.) Sharon Ann Holgate provides a compact introduction to what nuclear fusion is, the various steps along the road that have been made so far, and why it has taken so long.

Starting with fusion as the power source of the stars, we discover the difficulty of keeping the tricky, twisty ultra hot material in the fusion reactor under control when using magnetic confinement, look at the two main technical approaches (and variants), the sheer scale of the engineering challenge, what is underway with ITER and more, along with the potential for the future.

Although this is an area beset with disappointments, one where we always seems to be decades away from practicality, Holgate balances the slightly depressing realities with the genuinely interesting science and technology involved and the still-real promise of the approach for the future, including the latest novel approaches.

Fusion is sometimes mistakenly attached to the 1954 statement from US AEC chairman that ‘It is not too much to expect that our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter,’ which seems to have been about nuclear power in general. It's certainly an ironic prediction given the rise in electricity prices - and it's likely that nuclear fusion will never be cheap, but it should provide a useful way to iron out the variation in renewable sources, and as such is still an important technology for the future. Read this book and you will have a good picture of how that is going to come about.

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet breakdown of the basic physics and the current state of affairs of fusion.
We're going to the future, hop in

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nuclear Fusion : The Race to Build a Mini-Sun on Earth (2022) by Sharon Ann Holgate is a short book that provides a overview of nuclear fusion. It’s part of the Hot Science series edited by Brian Clegg. Holgate has a doctorate in Physics and has written a number of popular books on science and a physics textbook.

The book begins with an overview of nuclear physics and describes what fusion is. Then there is a chapter that quickly looks at the z-pinch and then moves on to tokamaks. There is then more on Tokamaks and some detail is given to looking at ITER and Wendelstein 7-X. The next chapter features the NIF and inertial confinement fusion and also General Fusion. There there is more in ITER. There is also a chapter that has a few pages about Fukushima, which is a curious choice for a book about nuclear fusion. There is also a description of the role of robots in in fusion and then finally a description of the progress of fusion and how the race is on to get a working reactor.

The book actually meanders around and tries to cover too much. The book The Future of Fusion Energy covers the topic in more depth and does a better job. The book That Star Builders looks at a number of the current experiments and companies in more detail. A Piece of the Sun cover the history of fusion experiments in more detail. Nuclear Fusion : The Race to Build a Mini-Sun on Earth is the shortest of these books but it’s probably going to be confusing to anyone as a popular book on fusion.

[Sunflower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nuclear Fusion by Sharon Holgate introduced me to the complex, and maybe far-reaching idea of nuclear fusion, without the complicated math equations most physics books have. I enjoyed how easy this book was to pick up, including it's comparisons and introduction into physics. My only complaint is how repetitive this book was on certain topics, like about nuclear companies. This book is great for beginners and it introduced me into the fascinating topic of nuclear fusion!

[Ashar Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great read. The book chronicles the efforts to date in the of fusion physics and highlights existing challenges. The book is a pleasant read for a person not well versed with this area. Definitely recommended.

[MÉYO · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straightforward. Futurama makes A LOT more sense now.

[Chloe Riddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good, easily digestible book that helps you understand all the complexities of fusion and fusion power

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A straightforward update on how the technology is progressing. The writing is informational but not especially compelling.