A Green Milestone: UK Scientists Set Record In Fusion Energy Generation

A team in central England generated 59 megajoules of energy for five seconds during an experiment -- equivalent to the energy needed to power 35,000 homes for five seconds.

Scientists in Britain announced Wednesday they had smashed a previous record for generating fusion energy, hailing it as a "milestone" on the path towards cheap, clean power and a cooler planet.

Nuclear fusion is the same process that the sun uses to generate heat. Proponents believe it could one day help address climate change by providing an abundant, safe and green source of energy.

A team at the Joint European Torus (JET) facility near Oxford in central England generated 59 megajoules of energy for five seconds during an experiment in December, more than doubling a 1997 record, the UK Atomic Energy Authority said.

That is about the power needed to power 35,000 homes for the same period of time, five seconds, said JET's head of operations Joe Milnes.