The suboptimal technologies I was referring to are the existing ones. Clearly, if this new design works as well as stated; then the existing ones are suboptimal.
The insane panic about AWG is causing us to throw many billions of dollars subsidizing the full-scale implementation of various “green energy” technologies. If we wern’t in a panic, there would be more money spent on R&D and less on subsidizing (or mandating) suboptimal technologies.
I fully agree that we should be trying many things — and, by far, the most cost-effective way to do that is by R&D into many technologies; rather than throwing massive subsidies to “solutions” that will require perpetual subsidies. I am cheering this design on (as well as R&D into several other technologies that have great potential.)
You have described a boondoggle. Political solutions to economic problems often yield boondoggles. We are in store for many boondoggles. Boondoggles in the public sector tend to live forevery unfortunately. In the private sector, investment is lost but lessons are learned.