Will fusion reactors provide commercial grid power before 2030?

Chasing Suns in Bottles

The dream of bottling a star continues to captivate labs, investors, and public imagination. Every milestone—extra seconds of plasma stability, efficient magnets, smarter confinement algorithms—adds another ember to collective optimism.

Yet dreams and deadlines rarely dance in step. Scaling a fusion system into commercial reliability involves engineering challenges that behave like shifting labyrinths. The hurdles are neither purely physical nor purely financial; they’re a cosmic blend of both.

My expectation is that while 2030 will bring spectacular demonstrations and near-commercial prototypes, a genuine fusion-powered contribution to a national grid remains unlikely. The star-in-a-jar will shine, but not yet illuminate entire cities.