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(Note: This article is a brief explanation of the political benefits of fusion power, rather than a scientific article. For more details on fusion power, go here: Fusion Power)

Fusion power is a term used to describe electricity created with fusion power plants. These plants use the energy (heat) of fusion reactions to boil water and push a steam turbine. Fusion reactors use hydrogen as a fuel because it is light weight and can be brought to a plasma state, which is required for a reaction to occur, easier than most other elements. Currently, the most researched system for fusion energy is the tokamak. The tokamak is a torus shaped container that confines the plasma within using strong magnetic fields. This is to prevent leakage and contamination of the fuel, deuterium and tritium (more recently, even lithium). Deuterium is the standard hydrogen isotope, binding one proton to one neutron; tritium is another hydrogen isotope, binding one proton to two neutrons. Nuclear energy in general harnesses energy from the strong force. Being the most intense force, as its name would suggest, fusion energy creates a lot of energy from a small reaction. This is the primary reason many scientists are interested in the future of fusion energy.

Benefits of Fusion Power
Fusion energy seems promising for its efficiency, above all other reasons. Fusion reactions create a large amount of energy and heat. Engineers have been unable to create a net gain in fusion power so far, as the temperature required for hydrogen's plasma state is over a million degrees Celsius. Originally, fusion power plants had an efficiency of 20%, meaning for every 5 units of energy used towards the ignition temperature, only 1 was received from the heat of the fusion reaction. Since the mid 20th century, engineers and physicists have managed to raise the efficiency rate to about 65%. Even with this substantial improvement, fusion power plants are only getting about half the energy they put in, back.

Environmental Benefits
So far, nothing suggests engineers couldn't eventually create a fusion plant with 101% efficiency, given enough time and resources. Once a substantial net gain has been achieved, fusion power could, theoretically, greatly help the world environmentally, politically, and economically. Fusion power is not only clean, but much safer than our standard fission energy. Fusion reactions only pollute helium, a harmless substance already mixed in the atmosphere, and neutrons which then decay. Fusion reactions are radioactive like fission reactions, but, like in fission, fusion reactions are well contained. A big advance over fission energy, fusion plants do not leave behind toxic or radioactive waste, and there is absolutely no risk of nuclear melt down. This means the only risks involved in fusion energy is direct exposure to the reaction.

Political Benefits
Because of fusion energy's theoretical future efficiency, this source could help solve the worlds energy problems in the coming millenia. Once fusion energy plants begin to expel more energy than they expend to get an ignition temperature, fusion energy could supply the world a virtually infinite supply of easy to acquire power. Fusion energy is, technically speaking, a finite source. Requiring multiple isotopes of hydrogen as fuel, fusion limits world energy to the quantities of those isotopes found on Earth, or that can be retrieved in space (in coming centuries). These isotopes are so abundant, though, that it could meet energy demands for billions of years, fitting the term finite similarly to the sun.

Economic Benefits
Due to fusion energy's practically infinite nature, and vast potential, this source promises a plethora of job opportunities for engineers, physicists, and operators. Energy is always in high demand, and fusion power domesticates the idea of easy, profitable world power.

Problems with Fusion Power
The most problematic concern with fusion energy is whether or not it will become powerful and efficient enough to be a viable source. In research up to now, physics does not suggest there can be no net gain in fusion energy. With enough funds and time, fusion research should develop an efficient way or technology to reach ignition temperature for the deuterium and tritium plasma.