Humanity's nearly free energy supply is approaching!

Microsoft aims to bring nuclear fusion online. Last Wednesday, the computer manufacturer signed a power purchase agreement with the Washington-based energy company Helion Energy for the first commercial nuclear fusion reactor. This reactor is scheduled to be connected to the Washington power grid by 2028 and generate up to 50 megawatts of power. This is equivalent to approximately 10 wind turbines, so it is not a vast amount. However, a start has been made!

Helion is obligated to deliver on schedule, a bold undertaking. Currently, the newly developed plasma accelerator does not yet produce as much energy as is consumed for fusion. However, it is only a matter of time until this is achieved. Researchers recently overcame this hurdle with a neodymium-laser-based reactor (as we reported).

In nuclear fusion, hydrogen atoms are fused and transformed into a plasma that releases energy. The steam generated at temperatures between 60 and 100 million degrees Celsius can drive numerous turbines. The true appeal of nuclear fusion, however, lies in the fact that the hydrogen used for it is the simplest and most abundant element in the universe. This could enable the technology to produce extremely cost-effective electricity. Helion Energy’s goal is to eventually offer electricity for one cent per kilowatt-hour. What this means for our lives is something our brains, programmed for energy scarcity, cannot even begin to grasp.

Similar to the well-known tokamak reactors, Helion Energy’s plasma accelerator also relies on magnetic coils to contain the plasma. Suitable magnets for this purpose must be very strong and therefore contain neodymium oxide and gadolinium oxide. Those who wish to invest in nuclear fusion as the energy of the future have a good opportunity to do so with these two elements, and can also look forward to the chance of attractive tax-free returns.