Fusion power

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Fusion power is a potential method of electric power generation from heat released by nuclear fusion reactions. In fusion, two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus and release energy. Devices that use this process are known as fusion reactors. Research on fusion reactors began in the 1940s. As of 2025, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States is the only laboratory to have demonstrated a fusion energy gain factor above one, but efficiencies orders of magnitude higher are required to reach engineering breakeven (a net electricity-producing plant) or economic breakeven (where the net electricity pays for the plant's whole-life cost). Thermonuclear fusion reactions require fuel in a plasma state and a confined environment with high temperature, pressure, and sufficient confinement time. The relationship between these parameters is expressed by the Lawson criterion. In stars, gravity provides the conditions for fusing hydrogen isotopes. Experimental reactors...

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