Ah, fusion. Long promised, both on Do the Math and in real life, fusion is regarded as the ultimate power source — the holy grail — the “arrival” of the human species. Talk of fusion conjures visions of green fields and rainbows and bunny rabbits . . . and a unicorn too, I hear. But I strike too harsh a tone in my jest.

Fusion is indeed a stunningly potent source of energy that falls firmly on the reality side of the science fiction divide — unlike unicorns. Indeed, fusion has been achieved (sub break-even) in the lab, and in the deadliest of bombs. On the flip side, fusion has been actively pursued as the heir-apparent of nuclear fission for over 60 years. We are still decades away from realizing the dream, causing many to wonder exactly what kind of “dream” this is.

via Crunching the numbers for nuclear fusion — Cleantech News and Analysis.