Free Energy Source Found?

Speaking of energy independence, it's been reported that an Irish firm has developed a free energy technology which can power everything from cell phones to automobiles.

Scientists are lining up to test the firm's claims. There's a great deal of skepticism over the claims (as there should be) as there have been many claims and hoaxes in the past.

But a thought occurred to me...what if this is the real deal? What would happen to our economy? How long would re-tooling take? How nasty would corporations to protect their profits? How would politicians and the electorate react?