The US Department of Energy is trying to get fusion technology into a practical form by investing in a pilot fusion plant.
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory used the world's largest and highest energy laser system to blast light at small capsule of deuterium-tritium fuel and were able to get more energy out of it than they had to put in.
Scientists have been trying to achieve that for a long time. According to The New York Times, the experiment provides an existence proof that this is possible.
The results came the same week that the DOE decided on which fusion developers would get a $50 million grant to build a 50 megawatt fusion plant.
A senior DOE official told the publication that the goal is to get a fusion pilot up and running in the early 2030s.
It's the first pilot of its kind and could push US companies to invest in developing technologies that could one day power the grid.
It's not clear how many companies will get the grant.
Scientists still have a lot of work to do. One of the things they will have to figure out is the feasibility of the system they are using.
In light of high expectations from lawmakers, the funding is very modest.
The Republicans taking control of the House could make it harder for the DOE to get funding. Republican lawmakers have voted against approving these types of energy projects before.
There's still a lot of enthusiasm and optimism about the idea of generating electricity with fusion reactor.
Scientists are still figuring out how feasible this idea is.
The DOE looks at a fusion power plant after breaking through.
Physicists say a new breakthrough proves fusion power is possible.
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