As far as I understand from the wiki page, the Z-machine still requires a hohlraum, which I assume also requires the kind of precise machining that the NIH laboratory does as well. As such, it is essentially burning an extremely expensive fuel, obtaining small bursts of energy from it - requiring vast amounts of such targets every hour in constant operation, which basically makes it a complete no-go from any kind of economic standpoint.

Note that I'm not saying that it isn't an interesting or useful scientific experiment - it's just not a promising power source.

We spend vast sums characterizing materials before they become cheap plentiful and profitable, this certainly could be an important step towards power generation without making a step in that direction directly. I imagine characterizing the likes of fusion it would be some comfort that it's inefficient. Question how do you avoid the great filter? Answer very carefully.