Bloom Box

 Introduction

The Bloom Box is a refrigerator-sized electrical generator created by Bloom Energy of Silicon Valley, California that is powered by fuel cell technology. The Box is comprised of a collection of diskette sized fuel cells that use oxygen and any hydrocarbon based fuels to generate electricity cleanly and cheaply, potentially possessing the capability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the production of electricity.

Background

The Bloom Box has been in development for almost a decade. K.R. Sridhar, the CEO of Bloom Energy and former aerospace engineer, recycled his device originally intended to produce oxygen on Mars into one that pumped in oxygen to generate clean electricity. Currently, the Bloom Box is being tested by corporations like Google, Bank of America, Walmart, FedEx, Staples and Ebay and currently retails for between $700,000 and $800,000. It is not yet available for individuals, but Bloom Energy estimates that a Bloom Box for the residential market will be released in the next five to ten years at a cost less than $3000¹ .

How It Works

Fuel cell technology is the foundation for the Bloom Box. Fuel cells are comparable to small, skinny batteries which utilize oxygen and fuel to produce electricity with no emissions. Composed of sand, they are baked into floppy disk sized ceramic squares painted with green and black ink on each side² . The green ink acts as the anode while the black ink acts as a cathode for the electrochemical cell³ . The ceramic squares are stacked into brick-sized towers that are separated between metal alloy plates. Hydrocarbon based fuels and oxygen is then pumped through the device on opposite sides, producing a chemical reaction that creates energy with zero burning, combustion, or power lines⁴ .

Impact

Bloom Energy claims that the Bloom Box has the potential to revolutionize energy production, contending that the device could cut greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation by at least fifty percent depending on the type of fuel used⁵ . Bloom Energy also estimates that a box with sixty-four ceramic disks could power a Starbucks. Corporations like Google and Ebay have already adopted the Bloom Box; four boxes have powered a Google datacenter for a year and half using one half of the natural gas required for power plants while Ebay’s five boxes that run on bio-gas saved more than $100,000 in electricity costs over a nine month period⁶ .

Criticism

Skeptics maintain that Bloom Energy falsely claims that it has introduced a completely new technology⁷ , as it is not the first company to invent a clean energy fuel cell⁸ . Cost is also an issue – Bloom Energy s till needs to find a way to mass produce the Bloom Box and drive costs down so that every home can be equipped with one⁹ . The Bloom Box also produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct, a potential drawback for the device¹⁰ .

Footnotes

1. Haq, Husna. "Bloom Box: What is it and How Does it Work?" Csmonitor.com. N.p., 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

2. Haq, Husna. "Bloom Box: What is it and How Does it Work?" Csmonitor.com. N.p., 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

3. Woody, Todd. "Bloom Energy Claims a New Fuel Cell Technology." http://www.nytimes.com. N.p., 23 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

4. Haq, Husna. "Bloom Box: What is it and How Does it Work?" Csmonitor.com. N.p., 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

5. Woody, Todd. "Bloom Energy Claims a New Fuel Cell Technology." http://www.nytimes.com. N.p., 23 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

6. Schwartz, Ariel. "Bloom Energy Unveils Its Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell." http://www.fastcompany.com. N.p., 21 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

7. Haq, Husna. "Bloom Box: What is it and How Does it Work?" Csmonitor.com. N.p., 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

8. Adams, Jonathan. "Japan leads the race for a hydrogen fuel-cell car." http://www.csmonitor.com. N.p., 1 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010

9. Haq, Husna. "Bloom Box: What is it and How Does it Work?" Csmonitor.com. N.p., 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010

10. Schwartz, Ariel. "Bloom Energy Unveils Its Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell." http://www.fastcompany.com. N.p., 21 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010

 Resources

Haq, Husna. "Bloom Box: What is it and How Does it Work?" Csmonitor.com. N.p., 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

Adams, Jonathan. "Japan leads the race for a hydrogen fuel-cell car." http://www.csmonitor.com. N.p., 1 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

Schwartz, Ariel. "Bloom Energy Unveils Its Ultra-Secretive Bloom Box Fuel Cell." http://www.fastcompany.com. N.p., 21 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010

 Woody, Todd. "Bloom Energy Claims a New Fuel Cell Technology." http://www.nytimes.com. N.p., 23 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.