Breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy announced

Dr Melanie Windridge, CEO of Fusion Energy Insights, told the BBC: "Fusion has been exciting scientists since they first figured out what was causing the Sun to shine. These results today really put us on the path to the commercialization of the technology."

Prof Jeremy P. Chittenden, professor of plasma physics and co-director of the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial College London called it "a true breakthrough moment" which proves 'the 'holy grail' of fusion, can indeed be achieved".

This has been the sentiment echoed by physicists globally, who praised the work of the international science community.

Prof Gianluca Gregori, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford said: "Today's success rests upon the work done by many scientists in the US, UK and around the world. With ignition now achieved, not only fusion energy is unlocked, but also a door is opening to new science."

On the question of how long before we could see fusion being used in power stations, LLNL Director Dr. Kim Budil said there were still significant hurdles but that: "with concerted efforts and investment, a few decades of research on the underlying technologies could put us in a position to build a power plant".

This is progress from when scientists used to say 50 - 60 years in answer to that question.

One of the main hurdles is getting cost down and scaling up the energy output.

The experiment was only able to produce enough energy to boil about 15-20 kettles and required billions of dollars of investment. And although the experiment got more energy out than the laser put in, this did not include the energy needed to make the lasers work - which was far greater that the amount of energy the hydrogen produced.

The amount of energy they've generated in this experiment is tiny - just enough to boil a few kettles. But what it represents is huge for the scientists who've spent so long working on this technology - and for all of us.

The promise of a fusion-powered future is one step closer. But - and there always is a but with these breakthroughs - there's still a long way to go before this becomes a reality.

This experiment shows that the science works. Now it needs to be repeated, perfected, and the amount of energy it generates will have to be significantly boosted.

This is before scientists can even think about scaling the process up.

The other issue is the cost - this experiment has cost billions of dollars - fusion does not come cheap.

But the promise of a source of clean energy will certainly be a big incentive for overcoming these challenges.