For decades, humans have sought to harness the power of the stars to generate electricity here on Earth. And for nearly as long, achieving that goal always seemed just a decade away.
Now, a slew of startups are closer than ever before and rushing to build fusion reactors capable of putting power on the grid.
Fusion startups have drawn more than $10 billion in investment, with more than a dozen raising over $100 million. Many large funding rounds have closed in the last year, with investors drawn to the industry as energy demand from data centers ramps up and as fusion startups draw closer to the finish line.
At its core, fusion power seeks to use the energy released from the fusing of atoms to generate electricity. Humans have known how to fuse atoms for decades, from the hydrogen bomb — an example of uncontrolled nuclear fusion — to any of the myriad fusion devices built in labs around the world. Experimental fusion devices have been able to control nuclear fusion, and one has been able to generate more energy than was required to spark the reaction.
But none of them have been able to produce enough of a surplus to make a power plant possible.
To solve that problem, fusion startups are trying a number of different approaches. Experts have varying opinions on which have the best chance of success, though the industry is still in its infancy, so nothing is guaranteed.
Here is a brief overview of the main approaches to fusion power.
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