JEC Democrats release report on the vast potential of fusion energy

A new report released this week by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats has found that fusion energy could provide a reliable, low-risk power source that could potentially transform the U.S. economy.

It stated that fusion may help meet demand as a cleaner energy source that can provide unlimited energy across the economy. For example, it said that if fusion energy becomes feasible, a bathtub of water and two laptop batteries could supply enough fuel to power a person’s entire lifetime.

“This report highlights the nearly unlimited potential of fusion energy,” JEC Chairman Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) said. “Fusion is poised to play a critical role in securing our clean energy future. That’s why I started the Senate Fusion Caucus to support the pursuit of clean, limitless energy.”

While still far from deployment, the technology needed to make fusion energy a reality is no longer only a scientist’s dream. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) produced an important breakthrough in December of 2022 that lays the groundwork for the next stages of fusion research and development.

In December of 2022, LLNL achieved an important milestone, more fusion energy produced by a fusion fuel target than the energy it consumed. While the experiments produced only a small amount of energy, this was a milestone scientific achievement and validation of the pursuit of these technologies as a potentially transformational energy source.

This form of fusion is not yet efficient enough to economically generate electricity, but the result has generated significant excitement about the possibilities of fusion.

The most promising fusion fuels — deuterium and tritium — are isotopes of hydrogen. Deuterium is naturally abundant from seawater. While tritium is less common, it can be produced using the more common element lithium and could potentially be generated as part of self-sufficient fusion power plants. Fuel needs are minimal—for example, a bathtub of water and two laptop batteries are enough fuel to provide power for a person’s entire lifetime.

Heinrich is a founding member of the bipartisan Senate Fusion Caucus with Senators Angus King (I-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Todd Young (R-IN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

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