First direct-conversion fusion demonstration by a private company.
. @RealtaFusion successfully powered a lightbulb using electricity harvested directly from WHAM, its demonstration fusion device using direct electricity conversion. It is the first private company to publicly demonstrate such a feat.
No Digg Deeper questions have been answered for this story yet.
⚡ Realta just demonstrated direct electricity conversion from a fusion reaction, the first company to do so.
This direct conversion is 90% efficient versus ~33% efficiency for the typical setup using heat to drive a steam turbine. https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/30/realta-fusion-generates-electricity-directly-from-a-fusion-reaction-an-apparent-first/
Direct electricity conversion, from the fusion reaction to electricity (bypassing making steam and turning a turbine) is IMHO a key to making fusion cheap. It's one of the things I love about the @Helion_Energy design.
Happy to see more companies going this way.
⚡ Realta just demonstrated direct electricity conversion from a fusion reaction, the first company to do so.
This direct conversion is 90% efficient versus ~33% efficiency for the typical setup using heat to drive a steam turbine. https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/30/realta-fusion-generates-electricity-directly-from-a-fusion-reaction-an-apparent-first/
@ramez @Helion_Energy The turbine, generator and power conversion equipment can cost over $1 billion in a 1 GW nuclear power station, but that's still only 10-20% of the total cost.
@ramez @Helion_Energy How's Helion looking for 2028 power delivery?
@FutureJurvetson Now this is a breakthrough! How are you supporting this Steve?
@joelgombiner @Helion_Energy They seem optimistic. I don't think the rest of us will know until 2028. :)
direct energy conversion so hot right now
⚡ Realta just demonstrated direct electricity conversion from a fusion reaction, the first company to do so.
This direct conversion is 90% efficient versus ~33% efficiency for the typical setup using heat to drive a steam turbine. https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/30/realta-fusion-generates-electricity-directly-from-a-fusion-reaction-an-apparent-first/
@ToughSf @Helion_Energy You end up with two separate problems: 1. Higher CapEx. And that $1/W is significant if you want to get total CapEx down to ~$4/W.
2. Substantial energy losses that multiplicatively increase cost / MWh electric.
@TravelDeepspace We led the Series A investment for Realta Fusion
@FutureJurvetson Nice.
@ramez @Helion_Energy Most DEC designs I've seen start well below the efficiency of a mature turbogenerator, let alone a power station with a recovery cycle.
@ramez @Helion_Energy That would be wild. Most experts and pundits seem to think it's impossible for a startup to leapfrog much bigger established fusion projects... We'll see in a few years
@FutureJurvetson Using steam as the energy carrier, whether for fission or fusion, has always seemed so “19th century“ to me…
@ramez @Helion_Energy whoa! i had no idea this was a thing, that's crazy!!
@FutureJurvetson Fusion rückt näher, Deutschland hat die Kernenergie beerdigt. Sagt alles.
@vkhosla @RealtaFusion Direct conversion is the real headline. Until fusion scales commercially, uranium and fission still fill the gap. Market hasn't priced that in yet.
