Energy Technology is “Bloom”ing These Days
Bloom Energy is a Silicon Valley start-up that is generating a lot of buzz these days. They have just unveiled their secret weapon…the ability to harness chemical reactions to create energy. The Bloom Energy Server is a technological breakthrough…a generator that is totally based around smart fuel cell technology. Each Energy Server is made up of thousands of fuel cells…flat, solid ceramic squares made from a secret sand-like “powder”.
Let’s dig a bit deeper…what is a fuel cell anyway? Fuel cells are little devices that rely upon chemical reactions to generate energy. They are considered cleaner, more affordable, and much more reliable than the so-called “traditional energy sources” like fossil fuels.
After many years of secrecy regarding their inventions and other developments Bloom Energy “spilled the beans” on a 60 minutes interview. On February 22, 2010 the company’s principal co-founder and CEO, Dr. KR Sridnar, appeared on-screen with Lesley Stahl and told the world what was “going on”.
The root of the technology behind the Bloom Energy Server owes at least some of its existence to the NASA Mars space program. Dr. Sridhar worked on this program and was responsible for building the required technology to help support life on Mars. To be more specific, he was to use a combination of solar energy and water to produce not only air to breathe, but fuel for transportation.
In a nutshell here’s what Sridhar’s invention does…it utilizes a clean electrochemical process (rather than dirty combustion) to convert air and a fuel source into electricity. Virtually any fuel source ranging from natural gas to a wide variety of biogases can be utilized. If the Bloom Energy Server is powered by a renewable fuel it can be 100% cleaner than a coal-fired power plant.
Are there any drawbacks to this new technology? Well, absent from the 60 minutes interview was any indication of how this technology might be utilized in the automotive industry and its pursuit of an efficient source of clean omissions.
Customers of the “Bloom Box” are some of the largest and most influential companies in America. Coca-Cola, eBay, Google, Staples and FedEx believe enough in this technology to become customers.
The current mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, is a big supporter of the Bloom Technology. He recently said: “My first reaction was this was a company guaranteed for greatness,” said Bloomberg. “When we look at Bloom Energy we are looking at the future of business, at the future of the economy, at the future of America.”
These are exciting times with the advancement of new sources of energy being unveiled all the time. The Bloom Energy Server wants to be a part of this future.
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