Galeria

"The method works ... nowhere else in the world." Metres of black velvet, clouds of dry ice and the melodramatic Bachianas brasileiras by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos were part of the spectacular opening show for the Magnum-PSI facility at the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) in Rijnhuisen on Thursday 22 March.

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"Sending materials to hell", quips Magnum-PSI programme leader Greg De Temmerman. The comparison isn't far off: the fifteen meter long plasma experiment at the Dutch fusion research centre DIFFER creates punishing conditions to investigate how proposed reactor wall materials will fare in future fusion reactor divertors.

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Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University claim to have invented a new kind of graphene-based "battery" that runs solely on ambient heat. The device is said to capture the thermal energy of ions in a solution and convert it into electricity. The results are in the process of being peer reviewed, but if confirmed, such a device might find use in a range of applications, including powering artificial organs from body heat, generating renewable energy and powering electronics.

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) will support the construction of three small nuclear reactors at its Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The reactors are designed to generate heat and electricity for use at remote facilities such as mines, oil fields or isolated communities. The three companies involved are Gen4 Energy (formerly Hyperion), Holtec International and NuScale Power.

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The sun pours out an amazing amount of energy. Only a small fraction of the sun's total output reaches us, yet it powers our entire ecosystem. All the plants and animals on planet earth rely on this warmth for light and food. Surprisingly, though, the sun is not a terribly good fusion reactor, for its size. In terms of energy output per volume, JET at its best is over 700 times better, and ITER will be a staggering 2150 times more efficient fusion reactor than the sun.

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