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00:00:06more air conditioners, more data centers, more electric
00:00:09cars, around the world, we're using more and more
00:00:12electricity,
00:00:15but there's good news, wind and solar power are stepping up to
00:00:18meet that demand, less fossil fuels, more
00:00:22renewables, the green energy transition is
00:00:25underway, and scientists are working on something even
00:00:28bigger, nuclear fusion. It's a potential game changer,
00:00:32unlimited energy, emission
00:00:34free.
00:00:36Join us for electrifying insights on this edition of
00:00:40DW Science Show. Welcome to Tomorrow
00:00:43Today.
00:00:45What does a donut have to do with the sun? What does a blow
00:00:49pipe have to do with a furnace, and what happened
00:00:52on May 22nd, 2025.
00:00:55A really exciting day here at the Institute. It
00:00:58was top notch. but first things
00:01:02first, let's start with our everburning star and a
00:01:05question: can the sun's fusion process be replicated
00:01:09to produce energy here on earth? scientists have
00:01:13been trying and failing to achieve this for
00:01:16decades. we still don't have commercial fusion
00:01:20reactors, but we do have research facilities,
00:01:23like Wendelstein 7x in northeast Germany. it
00:01:27was purpose built to develop accelerator.
00:01:32lot today, they are not afraid of
00:02:01The machine is called W7X.
00:02:04450 people work here, including plasma physicists,
00:02:07engineers and technicians.
00:02:11At W7X, we mainly produce hydrogen
00:02:14plasmas. We feed in hydrogen gas, which
00:02:18is ionized by heater and turned into a
00:02:20plasma.
00:02:24Here's how it works: inside the machine is vacuum
00:02:27chamber shaped like twisted donut.
00:02:32Normally a tiny amount of hydrogen enters as a gas through
00:02:35a valve and is heated to extreme
00:02:37temperatures.
00:02:41Microwaves then strike the hydrogen atoms,
00:02:44ionizing them and transforming the gas into a plasma,
00:02:48heated to tens of millions of degrees
00:02:50celsius. The plasma discharge then stated
00:02:54those temperatures for a record breaking 43
00:02:56seconds.
00:05:02For now, the accelerator is undergoing maintenance with number of
00:05:06upgrades scheduled over the next few months,
00:05:10then W7X will be back. and chasing new
00:05:13records.
00:05:18Did you know that nuclear fishion, the process behind nuclear power
00:05:22today is considered more dangerous than nuclear
00:05:25fusion. Fishing accidents can release massive
00:05:29amounts of radioactive material as happened in
00:05:32Fukushima and Chernoble. Fusion
00:05:35is safer and doesn't produce high-level radioactive
00:05:38waste that must be stored safely for millennia,
00:05:41yet Finland. is betting a future powered by nuclear
00:05:45fishion.
00:05:49the oil keluarto peninsula on Finland's west coast
00:05:53is one of the country's most important energy
00:05:56hubs. it's home to three nuclear reactor
00:05:59units. the newest one went into commercial operation in
00:06:022023. the turbine hall is where the massive generators
00:06:06are located. they're driven by heat from the reactor, which is
00:06:10how the electricity is produced.
00:06:15Alkilot 3 has capacity of 1600 megw,
00:06:19making it one of the largest nuclear reactors in the EU.
00:06:22The facility covers about 14% of Finland's electricity
00:06:26production. The company's press officer says
00:06:30public concerns were minimal. We have been
00:06:32measuring for 40 years this, what people
00:06:36fear and what what how do they like nuclear power?
00:06:38And they they like nuclear.
00:06:44the waste, it's not a major concern anymore,
00:06:48we have solution here in alkiloto, so the
00:06:51support for nuclear is good in every
00:06:55party, but there were some problems here
00:06:58too, construction was supposed to last from 2005 to
00:07:022009, but in the end it took 14 additional
00:07:05years. the project was plagued with delays including loose
00:07:09parts in the turbine and issues with the instrument. and control
00:07:13system after multiple repairs, the final cost had
00:07:1711 billion euros, about four times the original
00:07:20budget, so we were we were pioneers, so there was
00:07:24a long break that nobody was building here in western
00:07:28Europe, nuclear power,
00:07:31so the readiness to build was not
00:07:34very good, and also the power plant was new
00:07:37design and it was
00:07:41not the... signed in detail level, so
00:07:44plans were changed during the project, but
00:07:48there were no protests over the delays and soaring
00:07:51costs, and now the new plant is delivering
00:07:54electricity to the country. as in
00:07:57France, in Finland, nuclear energy is considered green
00:08:01energy. the operator has proudly called the new
00:08:04reactor Finland's largest climate
00:08:07project.
00:08:10Finland is one of several European nations investing in nuclear
00:08:14energy, new reactors are underway in
00:08:17France, and Slovakia, while
00:08:19Poland is preparing to build its first commercial nuclear power
00:08:23plant.
00:08:26The question is, what is ultimately the better
00:08:28path? I think that when you look at new build
00:08:32projects today, the cost increases they
00:08:35incur, the long timelines they
00:08:37involve, and if you also look at the economic costs of
00:08:41renewables today. "and compare that to investments
00:08:44in new nuclear power plants and other options,
00:08:48then I believe renewables will ultimately have an enormous cost
00:08:51advantage over other
00:08:52concepts."
00:08:56Finland, though, has chosen the path of nuclear
00:08:59power. Here, people are convinced that ultimately
00:09:02electricity will be far cheaper with nuclear power than
00:09:06without it. The Finnish operators don't
00:09:09understand Germany's nuclear phaseout. because big
00:09:13country like Germany, very big country, so if
00:09:16you want to reach reach 100% renewables
00:09:20en electricity systems, we haven't seen
00:09:23it yet in a big country, so all the best for the
00:09:27for this challenging effort
00:09:30that that you can hopefully
00:09:34do without nuclear b, but our solution
00:09:37is is nuclear and renewables
00:09:39together, the finns have als found solution
00:09:43for the nuclear waste. Geologist Johanna
00:09:47Savunan is on our way to the construction site near the power
00:09:50plants. At more than 450 meters
00:09:54below ground, the world's first permanent repository for
00:09:57high-level radioactive waste is taking
00:10:00shape.
00:10:03Underground tunnels will soon store spent fuel rods for thousands of
00:10:07years. The nuclear waste bunker has attracted
00:10:10worldwide attention.
00:10:14I feel proud, I feel proud that we are taking action in a
00:10:18difficult manner and not just waiting for some
00:10:21others to show the way, I feel that... This
00:10:25is an issue that needs to be solved and I'm I feel proud
00:10:29that Finland is doing exactly that.
00:10:32300 meters long and carved into granite bedrock,
00:10:35the tunnels will one day store highly radioactive nuclear
00:10:39waste. An elevator will bring the copper canisters
00:10:43filled with spent fuel elements down into the
00:10:46repository. Each canister will be placed in a
00:10:49hole. The holes and the tunnel would be plugged with
00:10:52bentanite and the tunnel.
00:12:02Finland believes that its repository will be a permanent
00:12:05solution to the nuclear waste problem. Germany, by
00:12:09contrast, still doesn't have a long-term storage
00:12:11plan.
00:12:14When Germany decided to phase out nuclear power in
00:12:162011, it was agreed that we would search for the best possible
00:12:20repository site a white map, based solely on
00:12:24scientific.
00:12:59By 2030, Germany aims to generate 80%
00:13:03of its electricity from renewables like wind and solar
00:13:07power. A key part of this green energy
00:13:10transition is battery storage. It
00:13:13stores excess energy for later use when demand is high.
00:13:17That helps stabilize the power grid and prevent
00:13:20overloads.
00:13:55german energy company, soon he won't just be selling
00:13:59electricity from gas and hard cold power plants, he'll also be
00:14:02buying and storing it.
00:14:06by spring 2026, new battery system will be
00:14:10running here. it can deliver 50 megaws of
00:14:13electricity about the output of a small gas
00:14:16plant for 4
00:14:18hours.
00:14:21because it's plugged straight into the grid, the battery can
00:14:24store. renewable power and release it when demand
00:14:27rises, turning those swings into
00:14:30profit.
00:14:34Ultimately we're taking a business risk, but we believe
00:14:36flexibility is key for the energy
00:14:38transition.
00:14:41Right now it feels like a gold rush, prices on the power
00:14:45exchange fluctuate daily, as seen from a
00:14:48July weekly chart. During the
00:14:51day, solar floods the grid and prices drop.
00:14:55In the evening and early morning, fossil plants ramp up and
00:14:59prices rise. Battery storage systems profit from those
00:15:02swings. Think of it like squirrels gathering
00:15:06nuts. We trade every 15 minutes often the same
00:15:10energy again and again. Sometimes it's
00:15:12just tiny price differences, but over time you scoop up the
00:15:16returns. This business model has been tested for about
00:15:2010 years with a 15 megwatt pilot
00:15:23system. German grid.
00:16:07of plants, including four nuclear reactors, the
00:16:11grid's heartbeat its frequency, became
00:16:14unstable, could battery storage systems have prevented
00:16:17it?
00:16:20we've observed the same thing that happened in Spain and Portugal here in our control
00:16:24room.
00:16:27Hendrick Neumann, CTO at Transmission grid operator
00:16:31Ambrion helps keep Germany's grid stable. He
00:16:35says a blackout like the one that happened in Spain. Portugal can't happen in
00:16:38Germany thanks to backup systems, but if
00:16:42batteries are to join that safety net, they must do more than store
00:16:45energy, they need to help steady the grid's pulse by
00:16:49supplying reactive power on
00:16:51demand.
00:16:54You can think of reactive power like lubricant and an
00:16:57engine. An engine needs oil to run
00:17:00smoothly.
00:17:03In Spain, power was restored within 12 to 16 hours.
00:17:08Investigators say high voltage triggered the blackout, but also
00:17:11note that the grid lacked stabilizing reactive power,
00:17:14which may have made things worse.
00:17:17Technically, batteries can provide reactive power, right
00:17:21now there's no real market for it, and it isn't financially viable, so it's not
00:17:25our main
00:17:25focus.
00:17:29Unless we create a system together, with everyone
00:17:33in the market, we won't be able to build large scale battery
00:17:36storage. Even though it's essential for our future
00:17:39grid.
00:17:42That's a crucial point. So far, fossil plants have
00:17:46supplied reactive power almost automatically. The grid
00:17:50operator asks for it, the generators provide it, and
00:17:53electricity flows smoothly, but coal
00:17:56and lignite are set to be phased out by 2038 at the
00:17:59latest. Once they're gone, reactive power won't
00:18:03come automatically, so a formal market needs to secure.
00:18:08the big question is, can batteries deliver during the dark duldrums,
00:18:12those long stretches with little sun or
00:18:14wind?
00:18:17battery storage is being put to the test here, what role
00:18:21will they play in tomorrow's energy system? with mega
00:18:25batteries on the rise, do we even need new backup gas
00:18:29plants at
00:18:29all?
00:18:34is a researcher at Achin Technical University. He studies
00:18:38how the power grid will need to change with the energy
00:18:40transition.
00:18:43These battery storage systems will make us much more
00:18:46independent. They allow us to turn solar
00:18:50power into a plannable energy source for
00:18:5324 or even 48 hours, but not
00:18:56longer.
00:19:00Last winter, the grid came under pressure. These energy
00:19:03charts show which plants supplied power and how
00:19:06much. Up to November 1st, wind was strong,
00:19:10but in the following days it
00:19:11dropped.
00:19:14The week winter sun didn't add much,
00:19:18gas plants stepped in with up to 15 gigaws and
00:19:21coal also ramped up to about 20 gig
00:19:24watts.
00:19:29Two weeks later, the wind
00:19:30returned.
00:19:33Fossil plants scaled back and the dark Doldrums were over.
00:20:43Batteries have the edge for short-term energy
00:20:46storage. By contrast, hydrogen.
00:20:50can hold huge amounts of energy for months, but
00:20:53producing hydrogen takes a lot of energy,
00:20:57ideally from renewable sources, that's what makes
00:21:00it green hydrogen, and it's being produced in places
00:21:04you might not
00:21:05expect.
00:21:10the fuffen houfen wastewater plant does more than treat
00:21:13sewage, it's also hosting an experiment.
00:21:16Andreas hashman and holga close lead the project.
00:22:51It's still a pilot program, but one day it could
00:22:54supply the region for five days when renewables fall
00:22:57short. Green transition expert Florian
00:23:01Agley likes the idea, but says that even at scale it
00:23:05won't produce enough hydrogen to decarbonize heavy industry like
00:23:08steel production. That's why government and industry are looking to
00:23:12hydrogen from Africa, but Egley warns against putting too much
00:23:16faith in the plan.
00:23:20"We analyze what it costs to produce green hydrogen in Africa for
00:23:23export to Europe. We found it far more expensive than
00:23:27expected, mainly because financing costs are higher than
00:23:30expected. Investment risks in many African countries
00:23:34are greater than for example in Europe.
00:23:37Across 10,300 sites in 31 African
00:23:41countries, hydrogen production plants for Europe are in
00:23:44planning.
00:23:47Egley and his team studied them and say only about 2%.
00:24:20Egley's study says investment costs are the main reason prices will
00:24:23sore. Interest rates are now much higher than the
00:24:27expected 4 to8%. In Sudan, rates are over
00:24:3126%. These unexpectedly high
00:24:34costs for green hydrogen from Africa could slow Europe's
00:24:38shift to clean energy in heavy industry.
00:24:41And that means sustainability targets won't be
00:24:45met, and that would also hurt
00:24:47Africa.
00:25:24What are stars made of? How many
00:25:27colors can butterflies see? Could
00:25:30robots have babies one day? Do you
00:25:33have science question? Then send it to us as a video,
00:25:37text or voice message. If we answer
00:25:40it in the show, then we'll send you a little gift as a
00:25:43thank you, so just
00:25:45ask.
00:25:50That's all for now, but we hope you'll join us again next
00:25:54time for more exciting stories from the world of science and
00:25:57technology here tomorrow
00:25:59today.
00:26:06I don't think waving flags is my job,
00:26:09nor is it to please everyone, my
00:26:12job is to convey facts and tell the truth, however
00:26:16unpleasant it may sometimes be to hear, because journalism is not PR,
00:26:20it's not politicking, it's not a reality show,
00:26:24journalism is a public service, because
00:26:27to give up asking difficult, uncomfortable questions,
00:26:30seeking difficult answers, I know. means giving up
00:26:34democracy. In a time of shaken trust in
00:26:37institutions and fragile credibility,
00:26:40journalism must not be silent. I am Hrvoje Krešić and
00:26:44watch me on N1 Television. AI
00:26:47changes the rules of the game, or has it already changed them? In AI
00:26:51Central Point, we discover innovations that push boundaries,
00:26:54from smart algorithms to technologies that are already shaping our
00:26:58future today. Who is leading the race, who is lagging? And
00:27:01what does that mean? for humanity, don't miss
00:27:04AI Central Point, the place where the future begins,
00:27:08Thursdays at 8 PM, only on N1
00:27:11Television.
00:30:17Good afternoon, I am Borna Šmer, and you are watching the daily review. These
00:30:20are the news that marked
00:30:22Thursday.
00:30:27The case of illegal waste in Gospić at two addresses in
00:30:30Strasbourg in Zagreb. In the European Parliament, a discussion on
00:30:34health protection, in Zagreb, the government's scientific
00:30:37council.
00:30:41Canada turns to Europe, and Washington threatens, while Carney
00:30:44talks about a stronger alliance between Canada and the Union, Trump
00:30:48warns, we will introduce high
00:30:50tariffs.
00:30:53A fire broke out in the KBC, sisters of mercy, some patients
00:30:56evacuated, but a quick intervention prevented a larger incident.