Neat, but what does it being "desk-size" have to do with anything? Is turbine size really a significant constraint in power plant design?
It can be if we're talking about Manhattan or San Francisco. Otherwise no, not really. If one could shove one of these in a basement in Manhattan it could be pretty useful. Out in a corn field in Iowa, size isn't really relevant.
Yeah, that part bugged me a little bit, too, 'cuz the stuff that feeds the turbine is hella bigger than "desk sized". They're talking about a 10MW turbine that's 50% efficient rather than 40% efficient and a 10MW steam turbine isn't much bigger than a "desk" but the stuff that keeps it going is a shipping container's worth. It's still cool, though. Turbines are sensitive to working fluid and whenever someone whips out a new working fluid it's interesting to see what they do with it.