Fusion energy startup signs five-year R&D agreement with the U.S. government

California-based Fuse, a fusion energy company, has signed a five-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Mission Support and Test Services (MSTS) at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) to work on research projects in various areas of nuclear fusion. The agreement aims is solve problems in fusion research faster and shape the future of clean energy. As the world looks to balance its energy demands and reduce carbon emissions, nuclear energy seems to be the only solution at hand. While large-scale fission energy plants have succeeded in generating energy at scale, fusion energy is another area that is gathering steam and could potentially solve the clean energy problem. Replicating the process that stars use to produce energy, nuclear fusion typically sees hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium and release large amounts of energy as a by-product. Unlike its fission counterpart, which also generates radioactive waste, nuclear fusion produces low-level waste that is short-lived, posing no long-term waste storage challenges. The only problem with fusion energy thus far is that companies haven’t figured out how to generate electricity using this technology. What is Fuse doing? San Leandro, California-based Fuse Energy aims is accelerate the path to fusion energy. While fusion startups have been working to refine their approaches and make fusion energy a reality, Fuse’s focus is affordability and engineering efficiency. So, the team is working with Magnetized-Liner inertial Fusion (MagLIF), an approach demonstrated by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for fusion commercialization. Fuse is breaking down big challenges in fusion energy into small, solvable objectives and has managed to build the world’s first IMG pulser within a span of three years and within the budget. Fuse, however, is working with laboratories across the US and in addition to the SNL, has Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with Los Alamos National Laboratory as well. Both the National Laboratories are part of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and the recent CRADA with NNSS adds another NNSA organization to Fuse’s collaborator ecosystem. What is CRADA about? The five-year CRADA creates a framework for NNSS and Fuse to collaborate long-term on various aspects of fusion research. As per a press release, initial projects in the CRADA will include advancing tritium capabilities, increasing the yield of neutrons in pulsed fusion generators, and validating next-generation fusion technologies. The NNSS is managed by the MSTS, a limited liability company owned by private players like Honeywell, Amentum, and Hill Nuclear. The MSTS operates the facility, owned by the US government and overseen by the NNSA. “Fuse has built commercial capabilities at the frontier of pulsed power technologies, creating a unique opportunity to advance the field through collaborative research,” said Daniel Lowe, Chief Scientist, Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments Mission at NNSS, in the press release. “By combining Fuse’s demonstrated hardware with NNSS’s technical expertise, we’ll be able to evaluate emerging technologies, explore new approaches to dense plasma focus systems and generate insights that benefit both national security missions and the broader fusion community.” “The United States must continue investing in the technologies and partnerships that underpin our strategic deterrent,” added Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, Fuse Board Director and former Administrator of the NNSA. “This collaboration combines the unique capabilities of Nevada National Security Sites with Fuse’s rapidly advancing pulsed power and fusion technologies to accelerate critical research that supports both national security and America’s long-term energy leadership.”Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.