The U.S. Department of Energy is creating three research hubs in the hopes of harnessing miniature laser-driven thermonuclear explosions for future power plants, officials announced on Thursday.

The three hubs — based at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, Colorado State University and the University of Rochester in New York State — will share a total of $42 million over four years.

The research effort will be “focused more on the underlying technologies needed for any inertial fusion system,” said Scott Hsu, the lead fusion coordinator at the Department of Energy.

Combining two small atoms — typically hydrogen — into a heavier one produces energy. This process, known as fusion, is what powers the sun and other stars. If controlled fusion could be recreated on Earth, that could lead to a bountiful energy source that does not generate planet-warming carbon dioxide or long-lived radioactive waste.

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