Finally Excess Energy From Fusion!?

Okay, Fusion will likely never be cold, because in nature the process requires a lot of energy to get started (the weight of a sun). So in order to simulate the natural process, researchers at the National Ignition Facility have been using hundreds of hot lasers pin pointed at a BB sized bit of hydrogen in order to simulate the heat and pressure of the sun.

And this process has finally started to yield results, in fact, according to Mike Dunne, the NIF Program Direct for Fusion Energy Systems; “This latest result is very important, since it marks the first time that any approach to fusion has generated a greater amount of energy than was initially absorbed by the fuel. In fact, in the most recent experiments of the past few weeks, the fusion energy output was more than double the input."

"This view from the bottom of the chamber shows the target positioner being inserted. Pulses from NIF's high-powered lasers race toward the Target Bay at the speed of light. They arrive at the center of the target chamber within a few trillionths of a second of each other, aligned to the accuracy of the diameter of a human hair." See More Pics here

In order to have a real economic impact, of course, this program will not only need to reduce its costs, it will need to be paired with better battery technologies in cars.