What is the breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology that could launch new era of clean energy?

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have published details of a breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology that could have huge implications for our ability to generate clean and non-carbonated energy one day. But there are many more years to go until this is ready for large-scale application.
0:30 What is nuclear fusion?
What drives the sun? In essence, a few hydrogen atoms come into contact with one another and fuse. And when they combine, a tremendous amount of energy is produced.
Under exceptionally difficult circumstances and with a lot of gravity, this occurs on the sun. That is exceedingly challenging to duplicate here on Earth. And what precisely did these scientists accomplish that led to this breakthrough?
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the -192 laser, the most potent in the world, was created.
Something the size of a pepper inside a cylinder is struck by the laser beam. Two megajoules of energy are sent to that cylinder; as a point of comparison, one megajoule is equal to 3.6 megajoules. In any scenario, two megajoules enter, burn those hydrogen atoms, combine, and produce an additional megajoule of energy. That didn't scale, and it was the first time that had entirely occurred in a lab experiment.
3:00 Meet the Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granhol
If we can encourage fusion energy, we can use it to generate energy, heavy industries, fuel for vehicles, and clean electricity. Building this clean energy economy is like expanding our toolbox by adding an electric drill.
There, the US has made investments totaling roughly 2.5 billion dollars. The government is investing roughly $1 billion annually in the development of this technology.
6:10 Conclusion
It's difficult to estimate how much closer we are now, but it seems like a significant achievement. Nuclear fusion has long been discussed in schools. It's been a while since then. It can take some time to grow.

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