https://www.wisbusiness.com/2026/re...a-kind-demonstration-for-fusion-energy-field/Realta Fusion is touting a “first-of-a-kind achievement” for the fusion energy field, having demonstrated direct energy conversion of plasma kinetic energy into electricity.
The Madison-based company yesterday announced it’s the first commercial fusion energy company to achieve the milestone, though the process has been done several times in laboratory settings.
“People have been talking a big game about [direct energy conversion] for years, so we just went out and did it,” CEO Kieran Furlong said in the release.
The company installed and demonstrated its direct energy converter on June 19 using an experimental fusion machine it operates alongside UW-Madison, called the Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror, or WHAM. The demonstration involved drawing multiple amps of current at around 100 volts, creating enough electrical power to power multiple lightbulbs.
Direct energy conversion for fusion plays a key role in boosting the system’s efficiency, according to the company.
The initial fusion power plants the company plans to start up in the mid-2030s will get 80% of their energy from a traditional thermal cycle operating at up to 45% efficiency, while the other 20% would come from direct energy conversion, running at greater than 90% efficiency.
Realta Fusion claims electrical generation from fusion!
Huh, I think you're right. So they just created a plasma pulsing between their mirrors and then pulled energy back out of the pulses? Sheesh, what a buzz-kill.russ_watters said:By my read, they didn't do that and aren't claiming they did. They converted electricity from plasma - the plasma was not created/sustained by fusion (there was no fusion claimed).
Yeah - that is what they did. No fusion; they obtained a plasma then extracted a current from a charge separation or 'direct conversion' system.russ_watters said:By my read, they didn't do that and aren't claiming they did. They converted electricity from plasma - the plasma was not created/sustained by fusion (there was no fusion claimed).
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...plasma-energy-into-electricity-302813632.htmlMADISON, Wis., June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Realta Fusion, the world's leading magnetic mirror fusion energy company, today announced the first ever demonstration of direct energy conversion (DEC) of plasma kinetic energy into electricity by a commercial fusion energy company.
In this first-of-a-kind achievement, Realta successfully demonstrated the ability to draw multiple amps of current at around 100 volts and provide enough electrical power to illuminate several light bulbs.
"People have been talking a big game about DEC for years, so we just went out and did it," said Realta CEO Kieran Furlong. "We're the first private fusion company to achieve DEC of plasma kinetic energy into electricity on a real fusion machine."
Realta first installed and demonstrated its direct energy converter on the Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM) – the experimental fusion machine it operates in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison – on June 19th, 2026. The converter works by slowing down charged particles at one end of the machine, which builds up an electrical potential or voltage to drive an electrical current.