US scientists make major breakthrough in ‘limitless, zero-carbon’ fusion energy: report

Scientists have been struggling to harness the fusion reaction that powers the Sun for more than half a century

Bradford Betz / FOXBusiness

U.S. government scientists at a California laboratory have reportedly made a monumental breakthrough in harnessing the power of fusion energy. 

The scientists, working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, recently achieved a net energy gain in a fusion reaction, the Financial Times reported, citing three people with knowledge of the experiment.

An X2.0-class solar flare bursting off the lower right side of the Sun. (NASA / Fox News)

Scientists have been struggling since the 1950s to harness the fusion reaction that powers the sun. But no group has been able to produce more energy from the reaction than it consumes.

Though developing fusion power stations at scale is still decades away, the breakthrough has significant implications as the world seeks to wean itself off of fossil fuels. Fusion reactions emit zero carbon and do not produce any long-lasting radioactive waste. Per The Times, a small cup of hydrogen fuel could potentially...Read more and see video here.