Feb 24: Bloom Energy Corporation, a Silicon Valley-based company committed to changing the way people generate and consume energy, launched the availability of the Bloom Energy Server™, a patented solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology that it says provides a cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable alternative to both today's electric grid as well as traditional renewable energy sources. The Bloom Energy Server provides distributed power generation, allowing customers to efficiently create their own electricity onsite. The company introduced what it is calling "groundbreaking technology" at an event hosted today at eBay Inc. headquarters along with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, General Colin Powell, and several of its early customers.
According to a release the technology is built using abundant and affordable materials, and the company indicates Bloom's fuel cell technology is fundamentally different from the legacy "hydrogen" fuel cells most people are familiar with. The Bloom Energy Server is distinct in four primary ways: (1) it uses lower cost materials; (2) provides unmatched efficiency in converting fuel to electricity; (3) has the ability to run on a wide range of renewable or traditional fuels; and (4) is more easily deployed and maintained. Unlike traditional renewable energy technologies, like solar and wind, which are intermittent, Bloom's technology can provide renewable power 24/7.
Each Bloom Energy Server provides 100 kilowatts (kW) of power in roughly the footprint of a parking space. Each system generates enough power to meet the needs of approximately 100 average U.S. homes or a small office building. For more power, customers simply deploy multiple Energy Servers side by side. The modular architecture allows customers to start small and "pay
as they grow". Bloom's customers have deployed the solution to lower and/or fix their energy costs, while significantly cutting their carbon footprint and enhancing their energy security by reducing their dependence on the grid.
The company said that customers who purchase Bloom's systems can expect a 3-5 year payback on their capital investment from the energy cost savings. Depending on whether they are using a fossil or renewable fuel, they can also achieve a 40-100% reduction in their carbon footprint as compared with the U.S. grid. Bloom's customers that were announced include: Bank of America; The Coca-Cola Company; Cox Enterprises; eBay; FedEx Express, an operating company of FedEx Corp.; Google;
Staples; and Walmart. The company said that since the first commercial customer installation in July 2008, the Energy Servers have collectively produced more than 11 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, with CO2 reductions estimated at 14 million pounds -- the equivalent of powering approximately 1,000 American homes for a year and planting one million trees.
Dr. KR Sridhar, principal co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy said, "Bloom Energy is dedicated to making clean, reliable energy affordable for everyone in the world. We believe that we can have the same kind of impact on energy that the mobile phone had on communications. Just as cell phones circumvented landlines to proliferate telephony, Bloom Energy will enable the adoption of distributed power as a smarter, localized energy source. Our customers are the cornerstone of that vision and we are thrilled to be working with industry leading companies to lower their energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint, improve their energy security, and showcase their commitment to a better future."
Founded in 2001, Bloom Energy can trace its roots to the NASA Mars space program. For NASA, Sridhar and his team were charged with building technology to help sustain life on Mars using solar energy and water to produce air to breath and fuel for transportation. They soon realized that their technology could have an even greater impact here on Earth and began work on what
would become the Bloom Energy Server. The Bloom Energy Server converts air and nearly any fuel source -- ranging from natural gas to a wide range of biogases -- into electricity via a clean electrochemical process, rather than dirty combustion. Even running on a fossil fuel, the systems are approximately 67% cleaner than a typical coal-fired power plant. When powered by a renewable fuel, they can be 100% cleaner. Each Energy Server consists of thousands of Bloom's fuel cells – flat, solid ceramic squares made from a common sand-like "powder."
Access a release from Bloom Energy (click here). Access a second release with customer background and comments (click here). Access the Bloom Energy website for complete information and background (click here). Access a server data sheet for product specifications (click here). Access 2/21 CBS 60-Minutes feature on the Bloom Box (click here).
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