But before you get excited about the coming era of unlimited clean energy, there are some important caveats to keep in mind.

What's so good about fusion power?

Today's nuclear power plants rely on fission reactions, where atoms are smashed apart to release energy and smaller particles. Fusion works differently, by squeezing smaller particles together into larger atoms - the same process that operates within our sun. Fusion can create more energy, with no radioactive waste, but containing and controlling such a reaction has proven to be a monumental problem for both physicists and engineers.