A successful power plant design based on laser driven inertial fusion energy requires integration of driver, target and chamber technologies. Multiple options have been suggested for each of these technologies in well known studies in recent years with names like Prometheus-L, Sombrero, KOYO, Osiris, HYLIFE-II, DPSSL, SIRIUS, etc. The performance of the power plant will depend on compatible driver, target, and chamber combinations coming from design studies, from computer studies with codes such as LASNEX and especially from experiments underway in many laboratories. Previous power plant studies based on KrF gas lasers and diode pumped solid state lasers had serious problems with high direct capital costs (well over $500 M) and efficiencies under 10%. These studies were based on hot-spot-ignition, direct-drive targets typically calling for 60 symmetrically placed beams to illuminate the target and used dry or wetted wall chambers. Fast ignitor targets have the advantage of the high predicted gain needed to reduce the recirculating power fraction and do so at very low driver energy (gain = 400 at ~1 MJ) thus minimizing the driver cost. Fast ignition is possible with either direct or indirect drive configurations, although the latter will require increased target design effort. The direct drive fast ignitor target will also use a dry or wetted wall chamber like Sombrero or Prometheus-L. To be economically and environmentally attractive, the first wall must be made of low activation materials and must be able to be robotically replaced very rapidly in order to minimize downtime associated with maintenance and repair. The indirect drive option of the fast ignitor may be workable with a chamber like HYLIFE-II which was illuminated from two ends in narrow cones of 190. This chamber, which was developed for a heavy ion driver, has a lifetime first wall made of 304 stainless steel. The reduced maintenance cost and downtime lead to economic advantages, and the thick liquid protection allows the stainless steel to qualify for shallow land burial. In any design, protecting the optics from damage caused by x rays, debris and neutrons will require special design effort with appropriate use of robotics to replace damaged optics.

These improved laser IFE options (i.e., using fast ignitor targets and chambers with rapid-replacement or lifetime first walls) will be compared to conventional direct-drive IFE power plant designs. Success in achieving the above goals might result in a laser IFE power plant in its mature deployed version with a cost of electricity below that of clean coal and fission and whose production of long lived wastes is remarkable low.