Here Comes the (Mini) Sun?

Nuclear fusion is very different from nuclear fission. Nuclear fission involves the breaking down of unstable radioactive atoms (like Uranium) to release energy. Nuclear fusion is the same process used by the sun (and other stars). It involves combining atoms of Hydrogen to generate Helium, again with the release of energy. There has been great media excitement as the Joint European Torus (JET) Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire doubled its fusion energy production in a recent trial (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60312633.amp). Sustainable nuclear fusion reactors are presented as the 'holy grail' of clean energy. They don't involve any carbon. The JET trial lasted 5 seconds and generated a temperature of 150 million degrees. These seem impressive values. 59 megajoules of energy were produced. Much more energy had to be provided, however, to the trial than was produced. Also 59 megajoules is only enough energy to boil a few kettles of water. This trial represents incremental progress (often the commonest in science). There seems, however, no chance that nuclear fusion reactors can be developed in time to save the planet from global heating and the consequent climate change.