breaking the law?

 Heard on the news about a big break in nuclear fusion. Not being a scientist, I can't claim to really understand all they are talking about. I did read a bit about how they used 192 lasers in this experiment to achieve fusion. These lasers were aimed at a frozen pellet of some form of hydrogen. Fusion took place and generated 50% more energy than was used to fire the lasers. The science guys calling that a net gain. The largest net gain ever achieved. The point, as it was explained, is a source of clean energy, virtually unlimited energy. The science guys are pretty excited about all of that. Personally, I'm reserving judgement. 

 It was reported that this breakthrough is the most significant in the 21st century. It was also pointed out that this ability to create fusion is many decades away from being of any practical value. But the big deal is, getting more energy out than you are putting in. The laws of physics that I was taught says you can't do that. You can't create energy at all, all you can do is transform it from one state to another. This net gain however would seem to contradict that, sorta. Energy isn't being created; it is being released. So I see it differently than the scientists. Gasoline is simply a distilled version of crude oil. Both will burn but gasoline is far more volatile. I can get a bunch bigger explosion using gasoline than I can using crude. Have I created more energy? No, I don't think so. I just released that energy quicker, in a more violent fashion. But, as I said, I'm no scientist. Apparently, there is no nuclear waste from this process to deal with. I haven't read extensively on this process but certainly it is radioactive in some fashion. The big deal here is the scientists say they can achieve "ignition" which creates fusion. It is ignition that makes a nuclear bomb explode. I'm thinking we should be very cautious about that. 

 Reading a little further I discovered that this "net gain" being reported is a bit misleading. Where it is true the actual power used by the lasers to create fusion was less than the power generated by that fusion, it still took far more power for the reactor to power those lasers. So, to me it would seem the scientists have put the cart before the horse so to speak. I get the excitement though; it is quite the accomplishment. How much did it cost to create that small amount of net gain energy? I haven't seen any estimates on that but I'm certain it is in the billions. 

  "For all of NIF’s success, commercializing this style of fusion reactor wouldn’t be easy. Betti, the University of Rochester physicist, says that such a reactor would need to generate 50 to 100 times more energy than its lasers emit to cover its own energy use and put power into the grid. It’d also have to vaporize 10 capsules a second, every second, for long periods of time. Right now, fuel capsules are extremely expensive to make, and they rely on tritium, a short-lived radioactive isotope of hydrogen that future reactors would have to make on-site." Scientists achieve a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. Here’s what it means. (msn.com)