Major breakthrough for nuclear fusion

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
National Nuclear Security Administration head Jill Hruby (L) and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (C) applaud as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Director Dr. Kim Budil takes the lectern during a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. The officials announced that experiments at the National Ignition Facility at the LLNL achieved 'ignition,' where the fusion energy generated equals the laser energy that started the reaction for the first time ever, a major advancement that may produce bountiful clean energy in the future. Photo credit Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A fusion reaction conducted at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California was declared to have achieved net energy, the Department of Energy secretary and other top federal scientists announced Tuesday.

This means that more energy was produced during the reaction than was used to start it. It is the first time that humanity has reached this milestone.

The sun generates energy through fusion, but scientists have struggled for years to replicate this process on earth. It is now possible for fusion to progress from a laboratory experiment to a practical energy source by achieving net positive energy.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
National Nuclear Security Administration Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Dr. Marvin Adams holds up a cylinder he says is similar to one used by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories for a breakthrough in fusion research during a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. Officials announced that experiments at the National Ignition Facility at the LLNL achieved 'ignition,' where the fusion energy generated equals the laser energy that started the reaction for the first time ever, a major advancement that may produce bountiful clean energy in the future. Photo credit Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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