Looking beyond the energy needs of the next couple of decades, a new technology is beginning to appear on the horizon. Nuclear fusion promises the prospect of abundant carbon-free electricity - if only some epic technical hurdles can be overcome.

Scientists have been grappling with the idea for decades. Now an international group, led by British experts, is placing its hopes on an experimental facility they hope will make fusion commercially viable. The aim is to build the world’s most powerful lasers and use them to blast minute dots of hydrogen fuel to create energy. The fusion process mimics reactions that take place inside the sun. Unlike nuclear fission reactions (where atoms are split apart), this process squeezes together atoms under enormous pressures and temperatures until they fuse, releasing vast amounts of energy.

Previous attempts have consumed more energy than they create, but it is hoped that HiPER could change that. Set to be built in Oxfordshire in the next few years, the facility would place Britain at the cutting edge of nuclear fusion research. “A lab in California is due to answer ‘yes’ to the question of whether we can build a miniature sun here on earth in two years’ time,” says Professor Mike Dunne, a director at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, which is expected to host the HiPER project. “Whether we can harness it to make power is what we are trying to answer. I’m confident we can.”

The process could, he claims, be a solution to the world’s energy needs in the long term, offering a source of safe, carbon-free power that uses sea water as fuel and generates minimal radioac-tive waste. HiPER has yet to be fully costed but about £12m, plus £40m of “in-kind” contributions, have been donated by European nations, with the UK the biggest contributor.

Since research into fusion began in 1932, scientists have had difficulty harnessing the reaction. In theory, if the reaction could not be controlled, it would lead to a nuclear explosion. However, scientists claim that a “runaway” reaction – or meltdown – isn’t possible. The worst-case scenario is a dispersal of low-level radiation, which would require clean-up. Compared with radiation produced by conventional nuclear power stations, the radiation from fusion has a very short life of 12 years.

“When I was a lad, fusion seemed miles off. Now we’re on the brink of proving the physics,” says Dunne. “There are opportunities for young people to come in. For the students just joining us, you can see the excitement about its potential in their eyes.” The lab is recruiting graduates with backgrounds in physics, advanced materials, mechanical, electrical and civil engineering and large-scale computing. It is expected that there will be demand for an even broader range of skills as the project progresses.

Bright ideas

Kate Lancaster, 29, graduated with a physics degree from Surrey University and started working as a scientist at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire after completing a four-year PhD and postdoctoral course there.

The facility is testing nuclear fusion technology, which engineers hope will one day solve our need for clean energy.

“My day-to-day job is basically to try to recreate temperatures hotter than the sun in our lab,” says Lancaster. “There’s nothing quite like the challenge to get you up in the morning. It’s something more than a 9-5 job. It envelops and stimulates you so much.”

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