The fusion is waiting for its big breakthrough. But should we research that thing anyway,

Above: A fusion reactor. 

Fusion is the greatest opportunity in human history when we think about energy production. But the road to real, commercial fusion energy will be long. And it requires lots of research. When we are looking at history, we are facing many things that seem impossible or fantasy. And then someday, those things turned into real things. 

The list of those "impossible things" is long. It includes things like aircraft, moon trips, wireless telecommunication, pocket computers, portable internet, nuclear bombs, and many other things like nanotechnology. The thing is that we must realize that yesterday's science fiction is tomorrow's reality.

 But we must realize one thing about fusion energy. That is not the only way to produce energy without pollution. Western society requires energy. Everything that we have runs on electricity. And that means we need trusted energy sources. That energy sources must work is also in crisis. 

Image 2) The first liquid-fuel rocket from 1926. 

Image 3) Modern rocket. (Delta IV (Medium))

The fact about fusion energy is that even if the reactor delivers more energy than it uses the commercial use of that kind of reactor is not possible. 

If a reactor uses as an example 130 megawatts and delivers 130,01 megawatts. That also means that the reactor produces more energy than it uses. But the efficiency of the reactor is very poor. Relation between input and output is the key to creating profitable systems. 

Even if the system delivers more energy than it uses. And the numbers are impressive. We must realize one thing. The fusion reactor uses lots of energy for creating conditions where fusion is possible. And there is a long journey to the commercial fusion systems. 

But people who work with that thing are the world's most educated physicists and engineers. History showed that all troubles can be a win. If there is the will to make something. The fact is that someday, we will have a bright future. Fusion energy will be the energy form of the future. But it requires lots of work. 

Same way if we think about things like space rockets and remember the beginning of the space era. The earliest rockets did not seem very impressive. Who would believe in 1926, when Robert Goddard made his first rocket that used liquid fuel (Image 2) that the same technology would take people to the moon? 

At this point, I must say that Goddard didn't invent rockets. Rockets were invented in China a long time before Goddard. Those ancient Chinese rockets used gunpowder as fuel. Maybe that rocket is not very impressive but Goddard's invention was a pathfinder for rockets. That are transporting satellites to the orbiter. In rocket technology, Goddard didn't invent the rocket itself. The inventors of the rockets are ancient Chinese. 

Researchers in NIF(National Ignition Facility)  and other fusion laboratories have not invented fusion. Or they have not invented a method to create artificial fusion. The fusion of so-called hydrogen bombs is known from the 1950s. But making a controlled fusion reactor is far more difficult than making bombs. This is an interesting thing. Making destruction is easier than making something productive. 

https://physics.aps.org/articles/v15/154

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket