"Most people laughed at the Wright brothers 'wasting their time and money'"
Not the same thing. Sunlight converted to electricity doesn't have enough energy density to make this "fuel" viable......... EVER.
Your analogy to the Wright brothers is like saying, "Improved satellite cameras and the proliferation of camera equipped drones along with millions of cell phone cameras means we're on the verge of proving that unicorns and Yeti exist.