Part 2/12:
Kirtley begins by clarifying the core distinctions between the two nuclear processes: fusion and fission. While today's nuclear power plants harness fission—splitting heavy atoms like uranium to release energy—fusion involves merging light nuclei, primarily isotopes of hydrogen, to produce energy akin to what powers the Sun.
He emphasizes that fusion offers significant advantages: it is inherently safe because it cannot melt down like fission reactors; it produces no long-lived radioactive waste; and the fuel—water—is virtually limitless. Achieving controlled fusion on Earth could usher in an era of nearly unlimited clean electricity, fundamentally transforming civilization.