eli5: To make fusion energy viable, we need to get out more energy than it takes to actually run the process. But doesn’t that contradict the laws of thermodynamics (getting more energy out then you put in)?

Question

eli5: To make fusion energy viable, we need to get out more energy than it takes to actually run the process. But doesn’t that contradict the laws of thermodynamics (getting more energy out then you put in)?

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Answer 1

Technically, we aren’t getting more energy out. We are just getting energy out in a different form.

That energy starts stored in fuel, and (ideally) ends up as electrical energy. Fusion is the process we use to convert it from fuel to electricity. We’ve got loads of fuel, and want electricity instead.