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Surprising Science

Pellet Power

A tiny pellet the size of a multi-vitamin could provide an endless supply of safe, clean energy – But is this unrealistic optimism?
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Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco have developed ground-breaking technology which could potentially stave off an energy crisis. The technology in question is tiny. It is roughly the size of a multi-vitamin tablet. But it has the potential to provide “an endless supply of safe, clean energy. It contains a few milligrams of deuterium and tritium, isotopes of hydrogen that can be extracted from water. Blasting the pellet with a powerful laser creates a reaction similar to that which takes place at the center of the sun. “Harness that reaction, and you’ve created a star on earth, and with the heat from that star you can generate electricity without creating any pollution. Forget about nuke plants, coal, oil, or wind and solar. ‘This is the real solar power,’ says researcher Edward Moses.”

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