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Production of useful fusion energy in short bursts is well documented. But the reaction stops as turbulence kicks in and robs the reaction of the energy needed to sustain itself. Ok. So, tame the turbulence. How hard can it be?

That was the question in the mid-1970s when I was working for a short time with a group at Westinghouse hoping for a fusion reactor development contract. It was widely expected that commercial fusion power could be achieved within 30-40 years.

Today, the expectation is the same: that it will take another 30-40 years to bring practical fusion power online.

In fact, throughout the entire period between then and now, people usually set the time frame as 30-40 years in the future.

So this is not an ordinary turbulence problem by any stretch of the imagination.

For that reason, although fusion power is still in the long-term hopes of many, those who want to be sure we have a practical solution are looking to renewable sources, "clean" coal (still unproven, despite all the political rhetoric), and fission (despite its problems with waste and nuclear proliferation) to replace oil.

Fred Bortz -- Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)