By free energy one usually means the excess energy going out of a system after putting energy in. Since this type of transformation is not possible we never see

By free energy one usually means the excess energy going out of a system after putting energy in. Since this type of transformation is not possible we never see truly free energy. There are lots of systems which have things in motion, and could in principle stay in motion forever, that do not provide free energy because the amount of energy going out = the amount of energy going in = zero. A pendulum in a vacuum is an example. If you want an analogy to the quantum situation of a time clock spinning around you can think of the penny rolling in a funnel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2awnAeuFbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2awnAeuFbc If there were no friction then the penny would never fall through the hole. It would reach a 'ground state', where it's as far down the funnel as its initial angular momentum will allow, and go no further but continue to whiz around. This is still not free energy and is not a quantum effect.