The advance demonstrates the basic viability of fusion energy, a goal researchers have been chasing since the 1950s. But the scientific experiment required the world’s most powerful lasers and is not an immediately practical route to fusion power. Many more scientific and engineering breakthroughs will be needed to turn fusion from a lab experiment into a commercial technology that could provide reliable, carbon-free energy to the grid. In fusion reactions, whether in a reactor or the core of a star, atoms are slammed into each other until they fuse, releasing energy. The goal of fusion energy is to get more energy out of the reaction than what’s put in to energize and hold the fuel in place, and to do it in a controlled way. Until now, that has never been demonstrated.
The fusion reaction at NIF achieved it, generating 3.15 megajoules of energy, more than the 2.05 megajoules…
What fusion’s breakthrough means for clean energy
