Inertial confinement most likely can't be reasonably commoditized into generating electricity. Also, I may be wrong, but I think on the wave of that hype I read that the number they used was an incomplete one. Basically they reframed the conditions of the problem to get more favorable number for advertisement.
NIF research will most likely be limited to the nuclear bomb research and simulations.
But even if NIF had a reasonable path to energy generation in say 20-30 years, it still won't matter much, just like ITER probably won't. Solar will be way more cheap and widespread, it's costs are still dropping down ahead of all predictions, govt. or commercial. Fusion may just be a pure science project in the end, for a long time.
But even if NIF had a reasonable path to energy generation in say 20-30 years, it still won't matter much, just like ITER probably won't. Solar will be way more cheap and widespread, it's costs are still dropping down ahead of all predictions, govt. or commercial. Fusion may just be a pure science project in the end, for a long time.