Explained: The 'artificial sun' created by China and why it is significant

It is not unknown that since a few years now, China has been trying to harness solar energy from inside a gigantic laboratory at Hefei in the southwestern part of China. The experiment named ‘artificial sun’ reached a significant milestone on the first day of 2022 when it resulted in the production of tonnes of clean energy.  Here’s everything about this initiative from China on sustainable energy.  

How was the milestone achieved for the ‘artificial sun?’ 
The experiment ‘artificial sun’ is being carried out in the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Science Academy (ASIPP) since late 2019. In May 2021, the experiment had achieved its first success when its fusion reactor reached the plasma temperature of 120 million degrees celsius for almost 101 seconds. More than 8 months later, the ‘artificial sun’ was able to achieve its first ever major milestone when its steady-state plasma operation was sustained for 1056 seconds or 17 minutes at a record yet regulated temperature of 70 million degrees celsius. This temperature is being regarded as at least five times higher than the real sun.  

According to the researchers, with this recent success, the ‘artificial sun’ was able to meet all three of its targets: 100-million-degree celsius of temperature, 1 million amperes of current and 10 second of duration, laying a strong scientific foundation for the experiment. According to several reports, the Chinese science agency is now targeting to reach all three of its goals in a single attempt for its final stage. With this new development, they have also declared the experiment as officially on its way. 

The ultimate goal: Harnessing clean energy 
China has long been attempting to revolutionise the field of energy efficiency. In order to succeed in its long-term goal, the country has finally paved the way for harnessing clean energy through nuclear fusion reactors, which was so long considered as an impossible task. China’s ‘artificial sun’ has broken all stereotypes and has ascertained that clean solar energy can be produced from inside of a laboratory. In this experiment, the ‘artificial sun’ uses hydrogen and deuterium gases as fuels to replicate nuclear fusion that also occurs inside the real solar orbit. This Chinese agency is looking forward to collaborate with French scientists working in the development of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) that is all set to become the world’s biggest nuclear fusion reactor by 2035 and will be able to produce enough clean energy for the entire world.