It looks like README file in powertop branch is out of sync with how powertop should be actually built.
It should be updated.
diff --git a/README b/README
index 2961eba..d83b315 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@
------------------------------
To build and install PowerTOP type the following commands,
- ./configure
- ./make
- ./make install
+ autoreconf -sfi
+ ./configure
+ make
+ make install
Note: For Android (running Intel Architecture ) there is a Android.mk
that was provided by community members, and at this time is supported