The State of Energy Innovation 2026
According to the Fusion Industry Association, “Eighty-four percent of fusion companies anticipate commercial fusion before the end of the next decade.” There is real momentum it seems in the fusion industry with the FusionXGlobal conference that took place in Munich last week. The aim was “connecting fusion companies, investors, suppliers, and government to opportunities.”
So is clean energy, through fusion being part of the energy mix, no longer optimistic science fiction and now just a question of time? One thing is for sure — high-energy lasers need high LIDT optics and that’s where Manx Precision Optics Ltd. (MPO) comes in. Manx is looking forward to expanding their work with the growing fusion industry.
Earlier this week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its State of Energy Innovation 2026 report — and fusion is front and center alongside other emerging energy technologies. The report was launched alongside the IEA Ministerial Meeting and Energy Innovation Forum in Paris, where Fusion Industry Association CEO Andrew Holland participated in a dedicated fusion session alongside global policymakers and industry leaders.
A few key takeaways on fusion energy in the report:
- Fusion is on equal footing with other emerging technologies. The IEA highlights fusion’s status, milestones, and challenges as the field accelerates toward commercialization at scale.
- The global race to deployment is accelerating. The report notes that “a race to develop commercial fusion energy is spurring new strategies and funding.” While international collaboration remains strong, many countries are now pairing that cooperation with domestic commercialization roadmaps and projects.
- Partnerships are key. Fusion’s progress has long been built on deep partnerships across public programs, private companies, and countries. The IEA emphasizes that continued collaboration across technologies, sectors, and borders will continue to be critical through development and scale-up – particularly across engineering, materials testing, and fuel cycles.
To track progress across the technologies, the IEA released an interactive milestone tracking tool. It identifies the key milestones that technologies intend to hit before 2030. For fusion, it includes the milestone: “First fusion plant to demonstrate the technical viability of producing saleable energy” — with an update on where industry stands.
The full report , entitled “The State of Energy Innovation 2026,” is worth checking out.
About Manx Precision Optics
Manx Precision Optics (MPO) manufactures optical components and precision optics. The company offers customized products as well as a wide range of off-the-shelf components at highly competitive prices. The main categories of MPO’s standard products are:
- Laser line mirrors
- Ultrafast laser mirrors
- Roof mirrors
- Polarization optics
- Large optics
- Lenses
- Etalons
- AR-coated windows
- Uncoated optical substrates
MPO works with customers to determine the most suitable optical coatings for their specific applications. With years of experience and an intimate knowledge of thin film coatings design, MPO can produce customized, quality coatings according to unique specifications.
To request more information or a quotation for Manx Precision Optics products, contact IL Photonics.