Articles for "Future of energy"

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Energy | 15. March 2010 | posted by Jan Oliver Löfken

Energy question of the week: Can lasers unleash the Sun's power to create a fusion reactor?

Low-cost, safe, climate-friendly and inexhaustible – many energy experts view nuclear fusion as the power source of the future. Having said that, scientists believe that it will take another 40 to 50 years before the first fusion power station is in operation. Hot plasma, trapped within a strong magnetic field is currently the most promising way forward, and Europeans in particular are focusing on this concept. However, might it not be much simpler and quicker to find a way to unleash the fire of the Sun by means of powerful lasers that American physicists are working with? read more

Energy | 12. January 2010 | posted by Jan Oliver Löfken

Question of the week: How much energy does the Sun send us every day?

Our Sun is a gigantic fusion reactor with an expected lifetime of about ten billion years. Although this period of time is unimaginably long from a human perspective, half of it has already elapsed. That means that our star, a very ordinary one in astronomical terms, will still be radiating the same amount of energy as it now does long after our resources of uranium, coal, gas or crude oil have been used up. How much energy from the Sun reaches us here on Earth? read more

Energy | 12. January 2010 | posted by Dorothee Bürkle

Which energy source will we use in the future? Energy questions for ‘Energy’ Science Year 2010

Can we refuel in the future simply using the Sun? How long will the Earth’s oil reserves last? Which energy source will our grandchildren use? Many people are asking scientific researchers about the future of our energy supply. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung; BMBF) has chosen the slogan ‘The Future of Energy’ for Science Year 2010. In the DLR Energy Blog, science journalist Jan Oliver Löfken will answer a question about energy each week during the year. read more