Last December, researchers at California’s National Ignition Facility achieved what many in the fusion industry have called its “Wright brothers” moment. Using a laser, they zapped a golden vessel with a microseconds-long pulse of energy and received a dividend in return: About 50 percent more energy than they put in. That feat is called ignition, and it’s a triumph that’s been awaited since the 1970s. The perpetually 30-years-out technology of fusion power suddenly looks closer.
Well, not all that much closer. The ignition experiment still consumed energy overall, because the laser burned a lot more power than it delivered to its target. And there’s still plenty to figure out about how to harness
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