Exactly. The maximum efficiency of conversion to electricity in a thermal plant is maybe 30-40% even ignoring losses in converting back to hydrocarbons. But eve

Exactly. The maximum efficiency of conversion to electricity in a thermal plant is maybe 30-40% even ignoring losses in converting back to hydrocarbons. But even 99% would be a loss relative to simply using the original hydrocarbons. This is a rube goldberg machine, taking high value hydrocarbons that could be converted to commodity and fine chemicals and instead burning them and taking the released carbon and... putting it back together? It's not even a very efficient perpetual motion machine.