Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2022 stunned the world when they showed that, for a fraction of a second at least, the power of the sun could be replicated on earth.

Scientists there fused two hydrogen isotopes, creating helium and created more energy than the experiment required.

Much like the atomic race and the space race, countries around the world want to be the first to harness fusion energy and apply it to their power grids.

The first to do so will have access to a plentiful, clean energy source without the same radioactive waste or dangers as traditional fission facilities, said Mike Campbell, owner of MCM Consultants and professor of practice at UC San Diego.

A single milligram of the two hydrogen isotopes in the reaction can create 100 kilowatt-hours of energy, Campbell said.

“Fusion is nature’s way of making energy — it’s God’s way, or nature’s, whatever you want to say,” said Campbell. “And we’re trying to do this on earth. Something that God or nature has made isn’t easy.”

Public Funding Encourages Cooperation in Fusion Research

Campbell helped build the ignition device at Lawrence Livermore that fired 192 lasers to heat hydrogen to 3 million degrees Celsius.

Now, China is well on its way to outdoing that laser built in the 1990s. However, there is no evidence that China has achieved ignition such as was done at Lawrence Livermore, according to a February report from the U.S. Commission on the Scaling of Fusion Energy.

But that country’s $1.5 billion in public funding in 2024 doubles U.S. funding, and they have several significant developments coming later this year and next.

The Chinese unified approach differs from the U.S., the commission said.

Since 2022, at least 12 U.S. startups have joined the race, according to the Fusion Industry Association.

Researchers say the U.S.’s disparate approach allows scientists to tackle the multitude of problems still besetting fusion energy. The $6 billion in American private investment outpaces Chinese funding, but researchers fear an overreliance on private money could stifle information sharing.

Now California legislators want to make sure the Golden State continues at the forefront.

State Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced, now has a bill with Sen. John McNerney, D-Stockton, to fund $100 million annually for labs and startups.

SB 80 creates a commission to approve and distribute funds to eligible recipients. The goal: to have commercial fusion energy in the state by the 2030s.

“Fusion energy is key to our clean energy future,” Caballero said in a statement. “This technology has the potential to provide California with carbon-free, reliable power while growing our economy and creating thousands of high-paying jobs.”

Fusion Is a Safe, High-Yielding Power Source: Campbell

While fission releases energy by splitting an atom, fusion does so by combining atoms.

Scientists theorized both processes in the 1930s, Campbell said. But it only took three or four years to recreate fission.

When two hydrogen isotopes come together to create helium — the process that happens in the sun — a massive amount of energy is released. But hydrogen’s positive charge causes it to repel itself.

So to combine them, scientists have to perform the process at millions of degrees Celsius, using the fourth state of matter, plasma.

“I need to heat something up so fast, that the particles are moving so fast that they can get close enough and finally the strong force grabs them and pulls them in,” Campbell said. “And then I have a new element — then I make helium. And then I get energy release.”

What’s more, fusion is safe, Campbell said. When something goes wrong in a fusion reaction, the process simply stops working. The meltdowns at Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three-Mile Island wouldn’t happen with fusion power.

Fusion Race Neck-at-Neck Among Global Competitors

The process sounds straightforward but how to control those temperatures and what method to utilize are still unclear. Which fuel is best is still to be determined. One of the most commonly used — tritium — is very rare and requires lithium to be made.

The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore merely provided a proof of concept, Campbell said. It’s not efficient enough to yield the kind of results researchers want to see.

Scientists have settled on two distinct methods to reach ignition. The U.S. uses an approach called inertial fusion, Campbell said.

China’s approach uses magnetic confinement involving a donut-shaped container called a tokamak. They both have advantages and disadvantages, he said.

This year, Chinese scientists achieved a significant breakthrough by conducting the longest burn recorded, according the U.S. fusion commission. The goal is to have another facility operational by 2027.

China also graduates 10 times more fusion Ph.D graduates than the U.S. and filed more fusion patents in 2023.

In Naka, Japan, that country partnered with the E.U. to create the world’s largest tokamak.

“Fusion is a very competitive field right now, and China is committed to being the first one there,” Campbell said. “So hopefully, that will inspire our government to work with the private sector, to have the patience and funding to make fusion real.”

Multifaceted Approach Means Tackling Many Problems At Once

Caballero’s SB 80 has gained support from San Diego-based General Atomics, the Livermore Lab Foundation, and Bakersfield-based B3K Prosperity.

It would divide the state into three different hubs — northern California, southern California and the Central Valley. A commission would review and approve funding requests from the regions.

The ignition experiment at Lawrence Livermore justified the decades of work scientists have put into fusion research, said Javier Garay, director of UC San Diego’s Fusion Engineering Institute. General Atomics has long partnered with UCSD on fusion research.

“We’re poised to use those findings…for commercial reasons,” Garay said. “Now, going from science experiments to the engineering work. Research needs to be done for actually doing the power plants and energy.”

But so many unknowns exist that research needs to be parallel, with different companies tackling different problems, he said. Materials also need to be found that can handle the millions of degrees of temperature. And, more efficient lasers need to be developed.

AI’s Potential Impact

Many of those discoveries begin with artificial intelligence, said Frank Wurthwein, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center. It takes supercomputing to efficiently model the reaction. AI can also help scientists find materials capable of controlling the extreme heat.

While still in an early discovery phase itself, research into AI has to be done concurrently with fusion energy.

Having dozens of labs, startups, and longstanding companies work to solve these mysteries means tackling multiple issues simultaneously.

But private investment often comes with caveats. Intellectual property means financial returns for investors, but it can come at the cost of sharing findings.

“A field would progress fast when research is open and shared and therefore a lot of brains can be informed of what’s being understood,” Wurthwein said. “And then there is a point when you need industry investment, but industry investment always comes with some kind of commercial intent.”

AI, Quantum Computing, Fusion Energy National Security Issues: Ellis

A newly elected assemblymember, Stan Ellis, R-Bakersfield, comes from the world of quantum computing. Before he sold it, his company used advanced computing for cybersecurity, health care, and other applications.

Private investment is essential for advanced research, he said, but financiers need returns. And the still-nascent AI, quantum computing and fusion energy fields may not yield real returns for a long time. But the development is essential to national security, he said, especially when in concert with each other.

“Oil and gas are finite,” Ellis said. “So my futuristic thought is, if it’s finite, we need alternative energy sources.”

He considers $100 million to be a “drop in the bucket.”

Quantum computing means advancing artificial intelligence, he said. Artificial intelligence means advancing fusion power. Fusion powers those all.

“In a few years, when these systems are functioning, you’re going to see life-changing experiences,” Ellis said. “Whoever wins the quantum race wins the world.”