MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Scientists with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have made a major breakthrough after creating a fusion energy source that produces more energy than it consumes.

What You Need To Know

  • Scientists in California achieve a major breakthrough in clean energy

  • Right now that energy is not enough to power electric grids or heat buildings

  • Officials said we are still more than a decade away from it being used commercially

The process uses the same type of nuclear fusion that powers the sun. 

Dr. Philip Chang, a physics professor with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said one of the biggest hurdles up to this point was trying to replicate conditions inside the sun or inside a nuclear bomb, in a lab. 

"They got an enormous amount of energy out of this process," Chang explained. "The first time they actually got more energy out than they put in so this has been something that people have been dreaming about for I would say 70-plus years at this point."

Watch the full interview above to hear how nuclear fusion could potentially power our homes one day and help the planet shift away from fossil fuels.