The United States government is putting money behind private-sector nuclear fusion companies for the first time, and that's an indication of how momentum is building behind the "holy grail" of clean energy. At the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh on Thursday, the Department of Energy officially announced $50 million will go towards private fusion companies in public-private partnerships. Nuclear fusion is when two heavier atoms slam together to form a heavier atom, and is the way stars are powered. But it will help bolster U.S fusion companies and give them credibility. The private sector fusion industry has attracted almost $5 billion in venture and other funding according to the Fusion Industry Association.

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