The industry expects to reach the point where it will be able to produce commercial power sometime in the coming decades. The most ambitious timeline is from Helion Energy, which expects to start producing commercial power from its first plant by 2028. It will sell that electricity directly to technology giant Microsoft (MSFT +0.57%) to help power its operations.
How to invest in fusion energy companies
Fusion energy holds tremendous potential to provide the world with almost limitless clean power. However, the industry is likely far away from achieving commercially viable fusion power, especially at the scale needed to help meet the world's surging need for electricity. And none of the companies working on fusion energy trade publicly, so you can't invest in a pure-play fusion energy stock just yet.
However, you can invest in a company that has made an investment in fusion energy. Here are some of the notable publicly traded companies with fusion-powered upside potential.