Nuclear Fusion - We really are getting very close to viability!

One of the energy sources that will hopefully become viable for humanity in the near future is Nuclear Fusion (not Nuclear Fission which has been around for nearly 100 years!).  However, it's been just around the corner for 50 years or so.  The Engineering challenges are vast but there have been many instances of sustained Fusion reaction now (even a few where the energy output nearly matched the input - a level called Breakeven - one of the closest to this is the LNL National Ignition Laser based experiment - but I feel this approach may not be sustainable or commercially viable) so I don't think it's a stretch to say we're getting close now as opposed to back then.  Likely it was the media's usual hyperbole that lead to this cynicism!

Here's a short summary of those Engineering challenges, actually a very good introduction to NF in general!

http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges/fusion.aspx

Since the article above didn't mention one of the coolest (and perhaps my personal fave approach)...The Stellarator, I'll link to details myself below.  I think this approach is very promising and some initial tests on plasma control went well, I believe a >30 minute test will take place in 2021 if that is passed then we can most definitely say we are very close indeed!

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/10/bizarre-reactor-might-save-nuclear-fusion

Looks like China & Australia see the potential of The Stellarator approach as they recently entered a partnership!

https://www.asianscientist.com/2017/04/academia/australia-china-fusion-energy/

Some of the latest news (few days ago) is a UK company called Tokamak Energy (Tokamak is a Russian term - most likely for Torus aka Donut - which is the shape of the most popular Reactor design) just went online and produced First Plasma (at around 100 million Celsius - about 10x hotter then core of the Sun, this is necessary since we cannot produce the immense pressures required which are provided by Gravity in the Sun's core!).

http://interestingengineering.com/uks-fusion-reactor-just-generated-first-plasma/