Nuclear Fusion!

I have to admit that I'm a sucker for nuclear fusion. I'm also a fan of nuclear fission, though it's less appealing to me. The reasons I love fusion are...
1. Totally green!
2. The reaction is produced using a small quantity of hydrogen (two different isotopes - deuterium and tritium)
3. No chance of meltdown
4. Has the potential to produce massive amounts of energy!
5. It's how stars produce their energy - you can't get more natural than that!
The reason fusion has not yet caught on and why you may never have heard of it is because the reaction is not yet efficient enough to produce a lot of energy. Another itsy bitsy semi-problem is that tritium, like petroleum and coal, is an exhaustible resource. It is produced by the nuclear modification of Lithium-6 by a process known as neutron activation.
Just a quick explanation of some of the above -
Tritium - An isotope of hydrogen with one proton and two neutrons, aka Hydrogen-3
Deuterium - An isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron, aka Hydrogen-2

Fusion in a nutshell: Lasers are aimed at small quantities of deuterium and tritium. The extreme heat and pressure exerted by the lasers simulate conditions found near the centers of stars and the hydrogen atoms fuse, producing a helium-4 atom (2 protons and 2 neutrons) and a spare neutron. This process releases energy.
Hope you enjoyed a crash course in nuclear fusion! Next up: nuclear fission. Get your atoms excited!