Fusion Energy Sciences

Fusion energy can potentially allow us to harness the same processes stars use to produce energy right here on Earth. Fusion occurs when two nuclei combine to form a new nucleus, a process that releases a huge amount of energy. Controlling this process offers a possible long-term energy source that uses abundant resources for its fuel and does not produce long-lived radioactive waste. 

The Department of Energy has been a leader in fusion energy research since the 1950s and supports groundbreaking advances today.

The DOE Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program’s mission is to drive the scientific and technological foundation for a fusion energy source and support the development of a competitive U.S. fusion energy industry. To develop fusion power as an affordable and reliable energy source, scientists must resolve foundational science and technology gaps. FES supports the fundamental research needed to address those challenges.

FES has four major science areas for fusion research:

• Theory, Simulation, and Artificial Intelligence

• Fusion Materials and Internal Components

• Sustain a Burning Plasma

• Closing the Fusion Cycle

In service of these drivers, FES supports fusion facilities in both the public and private sectors. Building on a foundation of research in academia, industry, and national laboratories, FES supports nationally coordinated public-private partnership programs to cultivate a growing fusion power industry. 

FES also pursues discovery research into plasma science and technology to provide the scientific underpinning for fusion energy and other technologies. 

FES invests in foundational research in artificial intelligence and machine learning to accelerate progress in fusion energy science and technologies; quantum information science for future fusion diagnostics; and microelectronics for radiation hardened systems for fusion environments.

The Fusion Energy Sciences program is guided by the Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap. This strategy describes how the fusion community can "Build," "Innovate," and "Grow" to create a leading, robust American fusion energy industry. It also ensures that FES core research aligns with closing gaps along the critical path to fusion energy.

Using some of the most advanced experimental capabilities, the most powerful supercomputers, and the fastest networks in the world today, DOE-supported scientists are undertaking research and development towards fundamental progress to establish fusion energy’s viability. 

Learn more about the Fusion Energy Sciences Program.