The bloom box

[RustyLugNut]

This has been a stimulating discussion. Thanks for getting it going Blaster.

We should keep posting current information on fuel cell related matters - for conjecture, discussion and dissection.

The same can be said for the other thread Blaster started on oil from Texas coal. Keep collecting info on alternative hydrocarbon production.

Both areas directly relate to this HHO forum as we try to gain efficiency and extend our oil supply in hopes of using this as a bridge to the eventual introduction of clean electric drives and fuel cells.

So, how does one make a sticky out of these two threads?

[hanglide4life]

find other great new tech fresh news

here
http://green.venturebeat.com/

or here
http://news.cnet.com/greentech/?tag=hdr;snav

[RustyLugNut]

Excellent food for thought.

[HHO BLASTER]

find other great new tech fresh news

here
http://green.venturebeat.com/

or here
http://news.cnet.com/greentech/?tag=hdr;snav

Super good find, thanks

I LIKE THIS ONE

[IMG][/IMG]

http://green.venturebeat.com/2010/02...ive-to-market/

[HHO BLASTER]

Oorja unveils methanol fuel cell that could triple EV driving ranges

http://green.venturebeat.com/2010/02...riving-ranges/

[hanglide4life]

A friend who is an engineer for saft (the battery manufacturer) told me 2 new big plants going up in florida and michigan? for lithium batt production and that in 5 years batteries will be 5 times as capable as they are today due to increases in density and efficiency. He says the implications are mind boggling. we'll see, can't wait..

[HHO BLASTER]

Bloom Energy says its devices provide 100 kilowatts (kW) of power "in roughly the footprint of a parking space," and you can see Google's quartet of devices in the 60 Minutes piece. Google is using natural gas with the boxes, but the Bloom Energy says the devices can convert "nearly any fuel source," including natural gas, ethanol, biogas, sun, wind, or even, well, Vodka.

eBay is using biogas with the five boxes it's testing at its corporate headquarters in San Jose. The online auction house installed the devices none months ago, opting for biogas made from landfill waste. eBay chief executive John Donahoe says the units provide about 15 per cent of the power on its campus.

Judging from Larry Page's comments, the boxes are still very much in the testing stage. Speaking with 60 Minutes, Bloom Energy founder K.R. Sridhar said that three weeks after installation of Google's headquarters, one of the boxes "just stopped" and that there were subsequent problems with clogged air filters. Sridhar indicated that the latter problem could be solved by "turning the system around."

While working at NASA in the 90s, Sridhar produced a system designed to produce oxygen for life on Mars, and after NASA's Mars mission was scraped, he reversed the system - pumping oxygen into it - to produce his fuel cell. Oxygen and fuel combine within the cell to produce electricity.

The pitch is that the units - made of thousands of flat ceramic fuel cells - will provide a "cleaner" and more efficient alternative to the traditional electrical grid. The units cost between $700,000 and $800,000, and the company claims that buyers can expect to recoup the cost in energy savings in three to five years.

At the moment, the company is only selling its "parking space" units for commercial use, but it plans to sell smaller residential units in five to 10 years.

[oicu812]

I work as a lineman for the second largest utility in America. Someday this thing could put Electric Utilities out of business. Thank God I can retire in eight more years.

[HHO BLASTER]

I work as a lineman for the second largest utility in America. Someday this thing could put Electric Utilities out of business. Thank God I can retire in eight more years.

I got into selling and installing large satellite in 1982 then when the small dishes came along it hurt then i made money with them for awhile but now i see internet video like the roku coming along

the phone company thought they had it made, until cell, and now voice over ip like magic jack

so i see electric power Look up Google energy

[HHO BLASTER]

Bloom Energy, Inc. provides solid oxide fuel cell technology and products for distributed electricity and hydrogen generation. Bloom Energy, Inc. was founded as Ion America, Inc. and changed its name to Bloom Energy, Inc. in September 2006. The company is based in Sunnyvale, California.

Bloom Energy announced its plans to raise $150 million in sixth-round capital to establish a market for its product — which has yet to launch. Bloom Energy says it has booked most of this funding with Advanced Equities Investment. Bloom Energy’s planned Initial Public Offering or IPO has been valued at $1.45 billion.

Bloom Energy says it expects to bring in billions of dollars in revenue over the next couple of years by riding the green technology trend, cutting energy costs for users and reducing their carbon footprints. To do so, Bloom Energy will sell and lease its fuel cell systems.

Bloom Energy is also playing with the idea of purchasing power through a subsidiary (which has yet to be formed). First developed by NASA, Bloom Energy’s fuel cells are made out of cheap materials but are able to run at higher temperatures and have the capacity to store as well as make energy. These fuel cells operate by converting natural gas and some renewable feedstocks into hydrogen. Just one fuel cell can generate enough electricity for a home or small business.

Now going to back to the question in the title, what is Bloom Box? How does a bloom box look alike? The Bloom Box is kind of like an industrial-sized refrigerator, that sucks up oxygen on one side and fuel (natural gas, biomass, etc) on the other. Reports say that Bloom Energy bakes sand and cuts it into little squares that are turned into a ceramic, which are then coated with green and black “inks.” Using a special process Bloom Energy creates these ceramic discs and stacks them together interspersed with metal plates of “a cheap metal alloy.” The bigger the stack the more power the Bloom Box will create.

Below is a picture of a Bloom Box used by Bloom Energy:

A lot of stock investors are now speculating that Bloomberg Fuel Cell would be the next Google. Founded by a former NASA scientist, Bloom Energy is developing fuel cells for homes and businesses that produce clean, efficient electricity through chemical reactions. Its lead product is a cell that can convertnatural gas and plant products into hydrogen fuel.

What do you think about Bloom Energy Cell? Can its main product fuel cell generate enough savings to serve the purpose of more economic friendly green technology?

Here are some of the news we gathered about Bloom Energy:

- Bloom Energy customers include eBay, Google, Lockheed, Wal-Mart, Staples and the CIA.

- There are rumors of an enormous Bloom Energy government contract and a multi-million dollar order backlog from Coca-Cola and FedEx.

- eBay ordered four of the Bloom Energy’s 100-kilowatt units.

- Adobe may have purchased some Bloom boxes.

- The San Francisco Airport has Bloom fuel cells in their possession.

- The Google fuel cell installation is 400 kilowatts. Bloom Energy’s first 100-kilowatt unit went to Google.

- Bloom Energy is focusing on a new business model by engaging customers in a power purchase agreement (PPA). With this approach, Bloom Energy might keep the fuel cell themselves (or own it in a joint venture with a utility) and sell the power. PPAs have been effective financing tools for solar, wind and some biomass/manure firms. PPAs also eliminate any fears about maintenance and upkeep.

- East Tennessee will be the location of a 100-kilowatt demonstration fuel cell developed by Bloom Energy that could be a precursor to the potential siting of a manufacturing facility in Tennessee. The system will be at the Electric Power Board HQ in Chattanooga. The project is funded through a federal appropriation as well as support from the Electric Power Board’s research and development organization. The system is a 25-kilowatt unit and they put four together for a 100-kilowatt system.

- Bloom Energy’s fule cell run on natural gas, propane, biofuels or diesel which gives them about 48 percent overall efficiency.

- Bloom Energy’s Board members and observers include John Doerr of KPCB, Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, and T.J. Rodgers, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor.

- Bloom Energy’s advisors include Colin Powell and Floyd Kvamme.

Bloom Energy’s idea is to one day replace the big power plants and transmission line grid, the way the laptop moved in on the desktop and cell phones supplanted landlines. Watch out for more updates on Bloom Energy’s stocks and other news. Do you think Bloom Energy’s green technology is the solution to the global warming bringing climate change to earth?

Update: Bloom Energy recently has a Bloom Energy Press Conference. Find out the highlights of the Press Conference by going here.

Also, Bloom Energy’s Bloom Box has been featured at 60 minutes. You can watch the 60 minutes video here.