There is another path to understanding LENR. That path is found in the stars. Here follows a summation of that path less taken to LENR understanding by Prof. Pierre-Marie Robitaille
Now that liquid metallic hydrogen has been advanced as a solar building block, it is likely that opposition will be raised, for many will foresee unsettling changes in astronomy. A liquid Sun brings into question our understanding of nearly every facet of this science: from stellar structure and evolution, the existence of black holes, the primordial atom, dark energy, and dark matter. It is not easy to abandon familiar ideas and begin anew. However, some scientists will realize that a liquid metallic hydrogen model of the Sun, not only opens new avenues, but it also unifies much of human knowledge into a cohesive and elegant framework. A liquid metallic Sun invites astronomy to revisit the days of Kirchhoff and Stewart, and to recall the powerful lessons learned from studying the thermal emission of materials. It emphasizes that our telescopes observe structural realities and not illusions. In recognizing the full character of these structures, all of the great solar astronomers from Galileo, to Secchi, to Hale are honored. These observers knew that solar structures (granules, sunspots, pores, flares, prominences, etc. . . ) were manifesting something profound about nature. For astrophysicists, the Sun imparts lessons which may well have direct applications for mankind. For instance, the solar body holds the key to fusion. If the Sun is made from condensed matter, then our experiments should focus on this state. Sunspots may also guard the secret to synthesizing metallic hydrogen on Earth. If sunspots are truly metallic , as reflected by their magnetic fields, then attempts to form liquid metallic hydrogen on Earth might benefit from the presence of magnetic fields. Our analysis of the photospheric constitution and the continuous thermal spectrum should be trying to tell us something about liquids and their long range order.