Simply put, it’s too hot. Any fusion reaction is so hot it would melt any metal container used to hold it. This means you have to use magnetic fields to hold the reaction in place and then try and harness the energy produced. However, so far it hasn’t been possible to produce more energy from the reaction than you’ve had to put in to start it. Basically, they can get it going but can’t generate enough power yet because it’s so complicated.
Have a look at this article on ITER, a new fusion reaction being built at the moment.
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