After it was claimed that researchers were able to construct a fusion reaction that produced a net energy gain for the first time, the US Department of Energy is expected to announce a significant scientific accomplishment this week.
The discovery was made lately at the government-funded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. It represents a significant advancement in the search for endless clean energy.
The net gain reaction, which is regarded as the holy grail of carbon-free energy, is a significant step toward developing a technology that might one day provide a clean and almost endless supply of energy.
The results of the fusion experiment are anticipated to be revealed on Tuesday during a media briefing by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
According to a lab representative, scientists were still putting the finishing touches on their research and nothing could be confirmed until the event.
The energy department declined to comment as well.
In an effort to provide sustainable energy and stop climate change, researchers have been working to duplicate the nuclear reaction that drives the sun since the 1950s.
However, no one has yet been able to use the fusion reaction to generate more energy than it uses.
Pressing hydrogen atoms so closely together that they fuse into helium and then release massive amounts of energy is the basis of nuclear fusion theory.
Despite the latest advancement, scientists think it will still be at least ten years before fusion power plants are used commercially.
Through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration promoted fusion energy research initiatives and committed tens of billions of dollars.
