Nuclear fusion breakthrough (not breakeven though)

[GenXer47]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nuclear-fusion-energy-breakthrough-us-expected-announcement-zero-carbon-power/

This is exciting news, but read carefully: the reaction produced more energy than the lasers emitted; but it still took "tens" of times as much energy to power the lasers.
If someone can invent a laser powered by the ribs, chicken, brats, burgers, cheese puffs, jalapeno poppers, taco dip, spinach dip, stuffed mushrooms, potato chips, fritos, cheetos, cheesecake, beer, and wine consumed on a single Sunday during football season, we'll be A-OK!

[lapfog_1]

1. it is actually worse than that

The energy produced needs to be converted to electricity to power the lasers to create a completely sustainable self-contained reaction. After that... you need to produce excess amount of electricity (via boiling water to turn turbines or whatever) to actually create a power plant.

still, producing more energy than it lasers consumed is a milestone.