As bazaar as this sounds, I don't see a problem with requesting a review process. Debunk the dang thing and move on.
I prefer investing in Lotto tickets. Better odds.
They could bootstrap their investment capital by selling off the surplus energy they already have.
Oh, they did the right thing: they generated millions of dollars in free advertising by leveraging the world's news services, and if they get lucky, they may get tens of thousands of dollars in free consulting. Good business move.
Of course, if the thing actually worked, they wouldn't need free advertising or free consulting. They could just sell energy back to the power company and finance their operations that way. They wouldn't need investors, and they wouldn't need the approval or even the attention of the scientific community.
If I had a free energy machine, I wouldn't be concerned with whether anybody else believed it worked. Hell, I'd be trying to keep it quiet.
LOL! As If.
It don't work that way. Free energy nuts, creationists, ufologists, homeopathists, crystal healers, etc, etc, etc, never ever take a debunking, however sound and thorough, as a reason to "move on".
On the contrary, it's only a publicity (and often a fund raising) opportunity, and a signal to embrace the role of victim.
Just watch. That's exactly how this will go down.
Why did these "Scientists" only make "off the record" statements?
"As bazaar as this sounds, I don't see a problem with requesting a review process. Debunk the dang thing and move on."
Same thought I had. It's the exact opposite of saying, "I have something fantastic but you can't see it." Gotta give 'em credit for that.
On the other hand my second thought was, why not make a car or anything using the technology and prove it yourself?