, Columnist
Fusion Skepticism Follows a Century of Genius, Fraud and Hype
Before we shrug off the latest achievement as just another small step on a long road, consider the miles we’ve come since the idea of tapping the power of the sun was first conceived.
Humanity gets a step closer to the sun.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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This week government scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a long-sought milestone in developing clean fusion energy. For the first time, the amount of energy produced by a fusion reaction exceeded the energy required to produce it.
The press dutifully reported the news, but there has been little celebration outside of scientific circles. For most people, fusion remains a futuristic pipe dream, constantly lurking around the corner, never materializing.