In the 1940s and 1950s, nuclear power was hailed as the solution to the world’s need for energy. The quiet nuclear reactors could be constructed, and provide unlimited power for generations, without any pollution or exhaust. Unfortunately, there is a certain amount of waste created by nuclear fission, and that waste is extremely deadly. The radioactive waste from nuclear reactors is still being shipped from place to place, as different states reject the contamination and potential problems it could bring.

The safety of nuclear power plants has been highly suspect, since the relatively mild experience of Three Mile Island in the United States. However, Chernobyl presented the first embodiment of our fears, with its total meltdown and the resulting contamination of thousands of miles and thousands of people. And, as if that wasn’t terrifying enough, Fukushima serves to remind us that the years have not lessened the reality of the dangers of nuclear fission.

However, nuclear fusion is a totally different type of energy. While fission splits apart atoms, creating a release of energy, nuclear fusion joins them together to create the energy. The technology has been evasive, but experiments have continued until now, when fusion reactors are finally on the open market. Andrea Rossi is currently taking orders for his E-Cat unit capable of providing power for an entire commercial building. He has successfully tested his home-sized version of this machine. Low Energy Nuclear Reaction technology does not use any radioactive components. It uses only nickel and hydrogen, both readily available in sea water. The only waste is a small canister that contains the spent copper – the results of reactions between the nickel and hydrogen.

This small unit, capable of providing energy for all of the electrical needs of a household measures only 20 by 20 inches, and is projected to cost about $400. It’s affordable, portable, and free of radioactive waste. It has no emissions, except for heat, and runs silently. Yes, this is truly nuclear power, but it is a safe form of nuclear power. Low Energy Nuclear Reaction, or LENR, is possible, and will soon sweep the world as a safe and affordable alternative to fossil fuels.