Fusion power

Nuclear fusion is when two atoms merge to form a new one. This reaction with plasma generates energy. The idea behind a fusion reactor is to build a nuclear power plant that uses this process to produce electricity. Nowadays, nuclear power plants use nuclear fission to produce energy. Nuclear fission is not the same as nuclear fusion.

Nuclear fusion is the same type of process the Sun uses to generate heat. The most powerful nuclear weapons also use fusion.

No commercial power plants use this technology; there are a few academic ones; these include the Joint European Torus, in England. This reactor uses a principle called Tokamak. A tokamak uses magnets arranged in a doughnut shape to squish the atoms together. Another kind uses laser fusion, also called inertial confinement fusion.