Hmm. These don't sound like the words of a man who is about to solve the global energy problem...
One of the things that I like best about Polywell is that the people in charge sound much more like skeptical scientists than committed advocates, unlike many others in the various "new energy" fields (I am looking in your direction Eric Lerner).
This makes it seem as though the upside potential of the polywell technology is still very much in doubt,
It is, no question about it. And Rick has been quite open about that.
or at least far enough away that practical applications might not be seen anytime soon.
One nice thing about Polywell is that we can probably find out relatively cheaply and quickly whether it will work. Practical applications (if possible) are probably no more than 20 years away, possibly as few as 5.