How to Make a Sun
Fusion energy has been on the horizon for decades now. Touted as containing “the power of the Sun”, but never actually realized, it has been a rather sore topic for those in the field. It was often joked, to the annoyance of those scientists, that fusion energy was “always a decade away”. As it turns out, this field is exactly my anticipated career path. Connecting with scientists during my journey into graduate school, these sentiments are exactly what I haven’t heard from scientists in the field. Aware of fusion’s history, they are confident in its future, owing to recent developments in the field. Opponents will be quick to point out fusion’s historical shortcomings, but recent developments display marked differences that promise not to repeat fusion’s muddy past.
Computation, a cornerstone of fusion research, has advanced rapidly, starting in the early 2000’s. Computational power in general increased substantially and has continued to; more sophisticated and efficient simulations have been created by researchers; plus, more recent applications with machine learning and AI promise even greater computational efficiency. Progress in materials science has exploded recently, with high-temperature superconductors improving efficiency, and liquid lithium blankets providing the basis for dynamic cooling and tritium breeding, both necessary features for a fusion reactor.
Consider also the breadth of work being done in the field. There are now dozens of private fusion companies across the US, each trying their hand at different techniques. Thea Energy, located in Kearny – only a 15 min drive from Stevens – is, according to my limited knowledge of the field, the company closest to achieving realistic fusion energy in the nation. The DoE has been very attentive to their investments in fusion, which have surprisingly increased during the Trump administration (though for selfish reasons), of which Thea is a recipient. Zooming out, the international project ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, is the multinational collaboration currently being built in France, seeking to achieve fusion energy. The effort, which includes contributions by China, the US, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, and Russia, will be the most sophisticated fusion energy experiment to date, and also may indeed be the most collaborative endeavor humans have done in recent years.
A terrible photo I (not pictured) took of Thea Energy's proof-of-concept device during my tour of their facility in Kearny, NJ (15 min drive from Stevens campus).
It can be argued that fusion energy would be the biggest applied science feat to date. It would of course not be the biggest experimental feat, but the implications of fusion energy would be much further reaching. True, economical fusion energy would mean (1) we get insane amounts of energy (2) sustainably, (3) which would impact the lives of pretty much everybody. The climate crisis is often invoked when discussing fusion’s positives, but just as important is the energy crisis. In this current age, people are looking for energy solutions to support the ridiculous energy consumption of AI. But even before this recent surge, we knew that fundamental changes in the energy sector were necessary if it were to keep up with the growing population and increased energy consumption per capita.
Fusion energy promises a lot, and I already said it has had a somewhat tainted past. Indeed, there may be years until infrastructure actually implements fusion energy. We are still trying to figure out which design is most promising – not only the one that can do fusion, but does it realistically – economically, safely, reproducibly, with simple manufacturing, etc. Through R&D on stellarator and tokamak designs from universities and companies throughout the world, unbelievable progress has been made. Like any major scientific effort, attempting to answer the major question – how to do fusion energy on Earth? – invariably leads to other important discoveries, which are beneficial in their own right.
This analysis decidedly agrees with the opinions of Faye Flam in her piece Have Scientific Breakthroughs Declined?, in which she notes that, in an age which has seemingly understood much of pure science, applications of science will constitute major contemporary breakthroughs. If this is indeed the case, then fusion energy is a serious contender for the top seat. For me, this goes deeper than applied science vs. basic science: while I’m not exactly sure if the true purpose of science is to benefit people, I most certainly believe that is one of its duties. We placed humans on the moon yet are still grappling with severe homelessness, childhood hunger, social security/caring for seniors, and so on, in this very country. These are, of course, extremely complex problems which have no simple answers, sometimes outside the realm of science, and especially fusion energy. But it is instructive for scientists to step back and consider why their work matters, if they should be doing anything different, and if they truly are supporting a noble cause.
“Eos.” Thea Energy, 10 July 2025, thea.energy/eos/.
“Fusion Energy.” Energy.Gov, 16 Oct. 2025, www.energy.gov/topics/fusion-energy.
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