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Fossil fuels -

Fossil fuels are not inexhaustible. Neither are any of the historical commonly used resources, such as coal and natural gas. Importantly, they’re also terrible for the environment.

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Wind and solar power -

Wind and solar power have offered more sustainable alternatives to the concerns facing the global energy supply, but both are subject to the whims of natural conditions.

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Artificial sun -

The “artificial sun” project is another, albeit controversial, alternative that seeks to contribute to a more sustainable energy supply.

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Similiarities -

The artificial sun isn’t a replication of the actual sun, as science has not made such an invention possible, but it does some similarities that make it an attractive project.

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Mega nuclear fusion device -

The artificial sun project is a “mega nuclear fusion device.” It generates energy through a “fusion process” akin to the sun.

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Energy into electricity -

By merging hydrogen atoms (pictured is a model) to create helium using atomic nuclei, the artificial sun generates swathes of energy into electricity.

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Atomic nuclei merge together -

So why is it called an artificial sun? Well, what powers the Sun is atomic nuclei merging together to create a huge amount of energy.

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Processes that power the stars -

Essentially, this process replicates “the energy-producing processes that power the stars.” This replication has the potential to fundamentally change how we produce energy for consumption.

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Nuclear power plant -

For atomic weapons and nuclear power plants, the opposite occurs, in which the “heavy atom is split into multiple smaller ones.”

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ITER -

France had already heavily invested in such a project, deemed the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), previously the world’s largest artificial sun.

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Collaborative initiative -

The ITER is a collaborative initiative involving contributions from 35 countries around the world. China is one of the seven key members of this project.

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Fusion power -

Weighing upwards of 1,600 tonnes, the artificial sun project is a carbon-free energy source that was designed to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power from just 50 megawatts of “heating power” for a minimum of 400 seconds.

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EAST -

In April 2023, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), an independent initiative by the nation, managed to operate their own artificial sun with the same results as the ITER, but three seconds longer.

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Chinese innovation -

In fact, China is arguably considered one of the main contributors to the development of such technology, centering innovation and the mastering of the equipment.

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New record -

In 2025, China broke its own record, managing to sustain plasma for an impressive and never-before-seen 1,000 seconds.

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Breakthrough technology -

This breakthrough technology is set to completely change how we think about generating energy in the future in accordance with sustainability goals.

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Ideology -

There are ideological positions about the use of nuclear technology for energy, particularly following a number of accidents that have taken place and caused devastation for human and animal life, as well as natural resources.

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Sustaining temperatures -

The development of nuclear energy has consistently faced the issue of sustaining a temperature for a longer period of time.

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Achievement -

China’s achievement of not only reaching temperatures well over 100 million degrees Celsius, but also for 1,000 seconds, is certainly thrilling for nuclear technology.

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Sustain reactions -

Although the technology still requires further improvement, as the challenge with this technology is that it needs to not only create its own energy but sustain the reactions, China’s developments offer a clear path forward.

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Prolonged plasma loops -

The goal to sustain prolonged plasma loops that power reactors is what China and the international community seek to achieve.

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Hundreds of thousands of tests -

Since EAST’s inception in 2006, it has undergone hundreds of thousands of tests, leading to the furtherance of other experimental research facilities in China related to fusion energy.

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Benefits to fusion energy -

There are a number of benefits to fusion energy. Firstly, it emits no greenhouse gases. Secondly, it’s less risky overall in terms of potential accidents.

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Harmful byproducts -

The aspect of not producing any harmful byproducts is what makes fusion technology so attractive to addressing the global energy crisis.

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Unlimited amount of clean energy -

By imitating the “natural reaction of the sun,” scientists hope that the technology will be able to produce an unlimited amount of clean energy.

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Tokamak -

EAST uses donut-shaped machines—a fusion reactor known as “tokamak.” The plasma that is produced is contained in a ring shape, which circles around the reactor with magnets.

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Tokamak -

It’s through these powerful magnets that the plasma and atomic nuclei are forced to merge. The energy is then released in the process within the walls of the tokamak.

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Commercial use -

So what’s holding us back from its commercial use? The device has to sustain stable operation for thousands of seconds. The plasma has to circulate in a self-sustaining manner.

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Power generation -

It’s only by achieving this milestone of continuous power generation that fusion plants will have real commercial potential and forever change how we generate energy.

Sources: (NDTV) (Newsweek) (The Telegraph) (Live Science)

See also: Discover the landscapes of China

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