First Commercial Fusion Company Converts Plasma to Electricity Directly

Realta Fusion demonstrated direct energy conversion on the WHAM experimental device on 30 June 2026, bypassing thermal cycles to convert fusion-produced charged particles into electricity. The approach sidesteps Carnot efficiency limits inherent to boil-water-and-turbine methods. Realta partnered with Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which operates the world's strongest HTS magnets. The demonstration remains subscale; scaling reproducibly to grid-competitive output remains the central engineering challenge.