Energy Revolution: Realta Fusion Obtains Direct Current from Fusion Reaction

A long-awaited giant leap has been taken in the world of energy: US startup Realta Fusion has succeeded in converting energy produced by a fusion reaction directly into electric current, bypassing the traditional thermal stage. This technology is expected to drastically increase power generation efficiency and end the energy crisis in the future. This is reported by Techcrunch.com news provides.

Based in Wisconsin, the company managed to light several light bulbs using energy obtained from plasma via a device called WHAM during an experiment on June 19. According to TechCrunch, Realta Fusion is the first private company in the world to publicly demonstrate such a result. This achievement proves that fusion can be a direct source of electricity, not just heat.

Eliminating Turbines and High Efficiency

Currently, all nuclear and thermal power plants operate on the same principle: fuel heats water, the resulting steam spins a turbine, and a generator produces current. However, a large portion of energy is wasted in this process. For example, the efficiency of modern nuclear plants is only around 33 percent. In the method proposed by Realta Fusion, this figure could reach 90 percent.

According to company founder Kieran Furlong, they directly capture the energy of charged helium nuclei (alpha particles) produced by the fusion reaction. This process works like an "electric flywheel": part of the obtained current is redirected to heat the plasma in the reactor, and the rest is delivered to consumers.

Commercial Prospects and Future Plans

The main problem in the field of fusion energy is that the energy spent to maintain the reaction is greater than the energy produced. The direct conversion method used by Realta Fusion helps overcome this barrier. According to calculations, this technology can increase the total capacity of commercial plants by 20-30 percent.

It is worth noting that Realta Fusion is not the only one working in this direction. The Helion startup, supported by Sam Altman, also plans to obtain direct energy in its reactors, but they have not yet publicly demonstrated their results. This puts Realta Fusion in the lead in the race.

For countries like Uzbekistan, where the need for energy resources is growing, such technologies could acquire strategic importance in the future. If fusion reaches the commercial stage, it will become an environmentally clean, infinite, and safe energy source. For now, scientists are working on scaling laboratory success to an industrial level.