If the experimental results are confirmed, it will prove that fusion is a viable way to meet the planet’s growing energy demands by replicating the reaction that has been occurring at the heart of our sun for billions of years – with some caveats.In the past few years, experiments around the world have been increasingly promising, but crucially have all also required more energy input than they have generated.AdvertisementSources at the lab told the FT that data is still being processed, but that the energy output from the fusion reaction was greater than expected and had damaged some diagnostic equipment.While an energy output higher than that of the lasers that power NIF’s reactor would be extremely positive, there is still much more work to be done.Overall, a viable, commercial reactor that can reliably generate significantly more energy than it draws as input, for long periods of time, is likely to be decades away."