Type One Energy, a nuclear fusion developer based in Knoxville, has announced contracts with the Tennessee Valley Authority to build nuclear fusion components.
According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the mission of Type One Energy is to build the world's first commercial nuclear fusion power plant.
The Tennessee Valley Authority focuses on repairing old electrical and mechanical equipment and responding to power outages. Last year, the TVA announced it would invest $40 million into its shops, including an old coal plant where Type One Energy will work on the parts needed for its reactor.
"To call it a shop is really an understatement," Matt Miles, vice president of external affairs at Type One Energy, told the Times Free Press. "It's more like a manufacturing or an industrial mecca. It's a state-of-the-art, first-in-class facility."
Nuclear fusion is a process where, under intense heat, two atomic nuclei combine and form a larger, heavier one, which releases massive amounts of energy. Nuclear fusion is what powers our sun. This process is different from the more commonly used type of nuclear energy, fission, where neutrons split into smaller atoms and release energy.
Nuclear power is one of the most reliable forms of energy, with the highest energy capacity out of any source, according to the Department of Energy.
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Nuclear power plants also require less maintenance and last longer than other forms of energy production, such as solar and wind.
Since the 1990s, nuclear power has supplied 20% of America's energy. For the globe, nuclear power is responsible for 10% of electricity, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
However, nuclear fusion presents an even greater opportunity for energy production. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear fusion can produce four times more energy than fission and nearly four million times more energy than coal or oil.
Using nuclear power helps reduce air pollution as well as reduce planet-warming pollution that contributes to higher global temperatures and exacerbates extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires.
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Lower energy bills 💸 Nuclear fusion technology is not yet at the point where it can be commercialized for use. However, the contract with the TVA will allow Type One Energy to refine its process to experiment with nuclear fusion.
In 2019, it developed new technology, the stellarator, which uses magnetic fields to confine hot plasma into a torus shape, potentially unlocking the key to nuclear fusion tech. At the TVA's shops, Type One can create the unique shapes needed for the process.
"We've got some very challenging geometric shapes," said Miles. "It looks like a big twisted pretzel. You're machining parts that really don't have a flat surface."
"We look forward to being part of this initiative," added Doug Keeling, TVA vice president, per the Times Free Press.
Type One Energy aims to build its prototype, known as the Infinity One, by 2026 and validate the technology for commercial use by 2029.
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