Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way

Inside the target chamber at the National Ignition Facility, where researchers work on getting higher energy outputs from fusion power. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, and the Department of Energy − National Ignition Facility

The way scientists think about fusion changed forever in 2022, when what some called the experiment of the century demonstrated for the first time that fusion can be a viable source of clean energy.

The experiment, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, showed ignition: a fusion reaction generating more energy out than was put in.