Nuclear fusion has been a dream of scientists and energy interests for decades, but it's never worked. Now it's drawing investor dollars anyway.

A report in energy-focused publication Oilprice.com says that two major tech investors have put a combined $1.5 million into Helion Energy, a Redmond, Washington, startup that wants to build a fusion reactor that puts out as much energy as it consumes. No company or government has ever been able to make fusion work, despite billions of dollars spent on research in the area.

In contrast to nuclear fission, which involves splitting the atom of nuclear material, nuclear fusion creates energy by merging atoms. Fusion is seen as beneficial because it doesn't generate nuclear waste.