The Supply of Fusion Fuel is Limitless

Fusion is the perfect source of energy because the supply for fuel is essentially limitless. In a fusion reaction, hydrogen fuel is heated to extremely high temperatures in order to induce the atoms to collide, “fusing” into an atom of helium. The basic fusion fuel is derived from deuterium and tritium, two isotopes of hydrogen. Deuterium is widely available in seawater, with enough fuel for millions of years of fusion. Tritium is not naturally occurring on earth, but will be made in a fusion reactor by a chemical reaction with lithium.

Some alternative experiments have looked at fueling fusion with elements other than hydrogen, like boron or Helium-3. The benefit of using these elements is that the reaction can be “aneutronic” – meaning there’s no radioactive neutron to control. However, they also require higher temperatures and pressures to initiate the reaction.

Because fusion does not require scarce natural resources, countries that utilize fusion will not have to rely on unreliable foreign sources of fuel. Mastering fusion energy, therefore will create the ultimate energy security.