I recently read an interview that left me perplexed. BBC journalist Justin Rowlatt was speaking in Brussels with Chris Wright, the US Secretary of Energy, and what this senior official had to say was priceless. According to him, nuclear fusion energy will be ready to power our electrical grids within 8 to 15 years, and with it, the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energies such as solar or wind will disappear.
A speech that, delivered with complete conviction, sounds like a technological promise... but borders on naiveté or, worse still, political myopia.
To understand the magnitude of these statements, we must remember something basic: nuclear fusion, the same one that mimics the process of the Sun, is nowhere near being commercially viable. It's true that in recent years we've witnessed scientific milestones, such as the NIF experiments in California that achieved brief reactions with net energy gain. Projects like ITER in France are also advancing slowly.
However, the reality is clear: almost no serious scientist believes we'll have operational fusion reactors in just one or two decades. Most experts speak of several decades, and some more pessimistic experts dare to say that it may never be achieved on a commercial scale.
So how can we justify a leader of the world's leading power claiming the opposite with such certainty? That's where what we might call political blindness disguised as technological optimism comes into play.
The Trump administration, of which Wright is a member, has shown clear disdain for solar and wind energy. This stance is not surprising considering that a large part of its electorate and financial support come from the fossil fuel industry.
But there's something else: solar energy has become the geopolitical battleground of the 21st century. China, already the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels, has invested heavily in this technology, while Europe has also promoted its development.
The result is clear: in the last decade, the cost of solar energy has plummeted to become the cheapest source of electricity generation in many parts of the world. The same is true for wind energy, especially offshore wind.
Ignoring these realities to blindly trust the futuristic promise of fusion is not only reckless, it's a strategic error that jeopardizes a country's energy future.
This is the "tomorrow will be better" trap. Wright's argument can be summed up something like this: "We don't need to rush now, because in 15 years everything will be resolved." But this approach overlooks a key detail: climate change doesn't wait.
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, heat waves are becoming more intense, and extreme weather events cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars each year.
Delaying the transition to clean energy with the excuse that a miracle technology will arrive in a hypothetical future is as irresponsible as letting a house burn because the fire truck will arrive in half an hour.
This is a case of how politics doesn't listen to independent science. Most nuclear fusion researchers are optimists, yes, but also realists. They acknowledge the progress made, celebrate every experimental success, but they don't sell smoke. No one well-informed would dare promise that fusion will be ready for commercial use in a decade and a half.
Politics, however, has other times and other needs. A politician can afford to spout grandiloquent phrases because he knows that in 15 years he'll likely be in another position, retired, or simply off the radar. In the meantime, his words influence investment decisions and energy strategies that affect millions of people.
But fortunately, not everything is gloomy. Despite these stances, science and innovation continue to evolve. Around the world, laboratories and companies continue to improve solar, wind, battery storage, and hydrogen technologies.
Every week, news appears about advances that make these energies cheaper, more efficient, and more accessible. And yes, there is also progress in nuclear fusion, but always within the framework of scientific honesty: it's a long-distance race, not a sprint.
What Chris Wright says is not just a mistaken opinion; it's a reflection of the political fanaticism and strategic blindness of some American leaders. Blindly trusting an uncertain technological promise, while disregarding what already works today, is a form of dangerous stupidity.
In 15 years, no one will remember his words. But the consequences of the decisions made now will be felt: more CO₂ in the atmosphere, greater dependence on fossil fuels, further delays in the fight against climate change.
The energy future is not built on short-term illusions, but on bold decisions today. And those decisions require, whether we like it or not, an immediate commitment to all renewable energies.
EN 
ES