A team of scientists wants to expand access to safe and efficient nuclear reactor designs through the Monte Carlo simulation model. 

The announcement from the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois involves computing power that could help to deliver a sustained fusion reaction. 

The team, including experts from Argonne, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other labs, have developed an open-source software package called OpenMC, meaning it's available to any lab that can use it. 

The Monte Carlo code uses "repeated random sampling to model complex systems," according to the Argonne release, and enables "virtual experiments" that speed up fusion prototype development. 

"It helps accelerate innovation," the statement noted. 

The code also "can predict ... how quickly nuclear fuel will be consumed or how much damage radiation will cause to reactor materials," computational scientist Paul Romano added. 

Fusion reactions occur when two atoms collide to form a larger one, creating heat energy as a byproduct. It's the same process that powers the sun. 

Recreating the scenario involves star-like heat and swirling plasmas. Advanced magnetic chambers, called tokamaks, are often used to contain the reactions, according to the Department of Energy. 

Just like other power plants, the heat is used to make steam that powers a turbine, generating electricity. 

Experimental reactions — happening in labs around the world — cost billions of dollars and are as yet unsustainable. But air pollution-free energy, zero long-lasting nuclear waste, and no meltdown risks are rewards that keep the funding flowing, Stanford experts reported. 

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Fission-based plants, with reactors that split atoms, provide around 20% of America's electricity. They produce nuclear waste and have well-documented catastrophes, though the accidents are rare. 

Proponents consider the risks worth it for the energy production and claim that radioactive waste isn't as problematic as is commonly thought. 

The DOE reported that enough spent fuel is made in the United States each year to fill half of an Olympic-size swimming pool, and the waste comes in the form of ceramic pellets. 

A successful fusion reactor would be game-changing, providing near-limitless energy. Experts think that OpenMC can help researchers reach sustainability. 

The code allows the team to predict how subatomic particles behave in the chamber, eliminating risks as they develop prototypes. 

​"By the time they build hardware, they already understand key behaviors and can demonstrate the advantages of new designs and systems," Romano said. 

While the fusion news has awesome potential, a working plant likely won't be built for years. In the meantime, surging electricity demand is causing utility rates to rise faster than inflation, according to NPR. 

Solar and wind remain the cheapest, fastest power sources to deploy, and they also come without harmful air pollution that NASA experts have linked to increasing risks for severe storms. 

"As such, renewable energy will continue to play a key role in the buildout of new power generation in the U.S.," analysts from New York financial advisory firm Lazard wrote. 

Unlike nuclear, solar is accessible at the household level. Home solar panels can provide energy independence by lowering or even eliminating your utility bill. 

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