All your power needs in a box? A Bloom box
Summary
Bloom Energy claims its invention, a little power plant-in-a-box you can literally in your backyard, is a power source that's inexpensive and clean, with no emissions.
Topics
In the world of energy, the Holy Grail is a power source that's inexpensive and clean, with no emissions. Well over 100 start-ups in Silicon Valley are working on it, and one of them, Bloom Energy, is about to make public its invention: a little power-plant-in-a-box they want to put literally in your backyard.
You'll generate your own electricity with the box and it'll be wireless. The 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.
It has a lot of smart people believing and buzzing, even though the company has been unusually secretive - until now.
K.R. Sridhar invited "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl for a first look at the innards of the Bloom box that he has been toiling on for nearly a decade.
For more on this story, read The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough? at CBSNews.com.
Talkback Most Recent of 15 Talkback(s)
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Would be nice, wouldn't it ?
To have your own energy source in your backyard. But surely the utility companies see this as a threat, hence which is why they would buy Bloom power out. Otherwise they'd loose control. And you know they hate to give up control.
TxM2xTx22nd Feb 2010 -
Yeah...
But if Bloom can show that the system can scale, then there will be no
shortage of buyers - not just the big energy companies. If this tech can
replace the grid, then it will. Maybe the box will have another name on it
(either instead of Bloom or under the Bloom logo) but if this can work,
then it looks transformative.
Probably the biggest unknown is maintenance, if the BloomBox can run
over extended periods without maintenance then great, if no that lack of
centralisation could be the system's achilles heal. I suppose you can
imagine the units being cheap enough that you ALWAYS install them in
redundant pairs - and failed units "call for service".
Jeremy-UK22nd Feb 2010 -
That would be cool.
1 small box the size of an air conditioner. No grid. Glad I
have NG.
Bruizer22nd Feb 2010 -
What is the savings?
What is the savings? it still needs some kinda fuel to operate as apposed to solar cells which no dought have a larger footprint for space needed,BUT it needs no external fuel to operate,just the sun.
What would the cost have been if the governt didnt pay half of the cost of that machine,There was no mention of what kinda savings
Stan5722nd Feb 2010 -
They said (in full story)
They said it is twice as efficent as a fossile fuel generator. (Natural gas fired diesel)
But the real savings is getting rid of the transmission grid. The transmission grid has a loss of around 50%. (half of all power generatd is lost on the transmission lines as heat.)
Of course if you are say a farmer (they use a lot of electrical power and your raising say hogs, or cattle the methane gas can be used and thats completely free. Imagine a large vegeatble processor using the bio gas that is now discradred.
Just an FYI: The US has MASSIVE natural gas resources.
No_Ax_to_Grind22nd Feb 2010 -
Only part of the picture
Those solar cells do convert sunlight into electricity, but you must store it somehow for use on cloudy days or at night. Most applications use a bank of batteries for storage, batteries that must be replaced regularly at considerable expense. There is also the issue of the toxic chemicals used in the batteries.
There really is no such thing as a free lunch.
itpro_z22nd Feb 2010 -
So we replace electric lines with gas lines? PFFT
Yea, dont think so. I still think solar is the future.
Come on seriously, 15% of their power for how many thousands of dollars? They better get the prices way down before most businesses will use it. I think its more likely that power companies will buy the units and place them in areas they are lacking power. Course that assumes they couldnt find another way.
Been_Done_Before22nd Feb 2010 -
92% of homes in US have natural gas.
No need to change anything.
As to cost, he said they project a home unit to cost about $3K. Much cheaper and FAR MORE EFFICENT than solar power.No_Ax_to_Grind22nd Feb 2010 -
Works like a battery...
But it apparently can take solar... You convert
the solar energy into chemical energy which can be
stored in the bloom box during the day and
converted back to electricity at night when the
solar panels are not working. This is my
understanding according to a BusinessWeek article
which blows the 60 mins article away.
Uncle Ebeneezer22nd Feb 2010 -
Just tell me when they are offering their IPO!!!
YES I'll invest, big time!No_Ax_to_Grind22nd Feb 2010 -
wow that cool
I just wish that gas,coal,fuel ,industry will not buy
this technologies too kill it ... but i have no faith
into there future .... If it work for real and put the
big 3 revenue at risk you can bet that they will offer
6 times it worth and outbuy those good guys .
the government should buy the technologies and treat
it as a matter of national security .
Congratulation USA you have a gold mine in your hand
if you dont screw this . Protect that knowledge at
all cost
Quebec-french22nd Feb 2010 -
RE: All your power needs in a box? A Bloom box
My question is. Can our planet produce enough oxygen to support this.
O' Cinneide22nd Feb 2010 -
"What do you think?" I think "hoax". I may be wrong but these usually are.
I mean - we've been here before.
Now, renting your electric car's battery back to the power company while it's in your driveway, or the hybrid generator - I can believe in that. (But for big bucks? No.)
Or indeed just using the car to power your house. Only then nothing works when you're not home? (Do you need it to?)
Robert Carnegie 200923rd Feb 2010 -
RE: All your power needs in a box? A Bloom box
There is HOPE for this for all of man kind.......!!
rhmercer@...24th Feb 2010 -
RE: All your power needs in a box? A Bloom box
Here in Arizona combine this with Solar and cost will be cut down dramaticaly.Will Transportation be next? here is another technology that is cutting costs.
Steven Scheeler
http://www.desertbreezeglass.com/DFI-Glass-Guard-Windshield-Coating-Diamon-Fusion.html
glassneeds25th Feb 2010
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