Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Ceremony: Wendelstein 7-X sets its sights on the next target

Greifswald (dpa/mv) - Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) is taking part in a ceremony in Greifswald this afternoon, where the next experimental phase is pending in the large research facility Wendelstein 7-X after conversion.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Ceremony: Wendelstein 7-X sets its sights on the next target

Greifswald (dpa/mv) - Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) is taking part in a ceremony in Greifswald this afternoon, where the next experimental phase is pending in the large research facility Wendelstein 7-X after conversion. At the site, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics are trying to imitate the sun's energy production on Earth and use it as an alternative power source.

In the research facility, hydrogen gas is admitted into a vacuum chamber, subjected to extreme heat and electrically charged. Meter-high magnetic coils keep the so-called plasma in suspension and at a distance from the chamber walls. The heat generated by the fusion of atomic nuclei serves as an energy source. In the facility, the power plant suitability of fusion systems of the "stellarator" type is to be demonstrated. The next phase of experimentation involves maintaining the plasma for up to 30 minutes.