Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion has achieved its first net-positive energy milestone: Commonwealth Fusion Systems' SPARC reactor produced 50 megawatts of plasma power in 2026, sustaining fusion for 10 seconds—250% more energy output than the input required. TAE Technologies' rival design has achieved 30 million degrees Celsius, sufficient for commercial heat-to-electricity conversion, with $4.5 billion in private funding backing a 2033 grid demo. The SPARC system runs at 75% lower capital cost per megawatt than typical fission reactors, using a compact tokamak that fits in a warehouse. If power-to-grid trials succeed by 2028, fusion could displace 1.2 gigatons of CO2 annually by 2040—a 15% faster decarbonization rate than renewable scaling alone.