The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough?

It's just a highly efficient natural gas electric generator, really that's nothing new. You will still be on a grid just be a natural gas grid.

As far as emissions anyways, man made global warming is a proven fraud. Only thing is the low hanging local emissions like smog in a city.

Originally posted by DEEZNUTZ

I saw that 60 minutes and the Bloom does look promising. The EBAY guy said their units produce about 15% of the total campuses power at half the natural gas bill used to supply the fuel to the cell versus a conventional power plant producing the same electrical output.

If that's the case, why wouldn't they produce all their power there with the Bloom? If they are not too expensive, then they must be hard to come by right now.

Originally posted by DEEZNUTZ
The country at the forefront of clean energy will be the new leader in the World Economy. Those countries that develop and build these technologies on their soil and export it will be the richest ones.

High winds, ice storm, hurricane. At least you'd have power as long as your house remains standing.

this is the way we should be thinking. i am in total agreement. if we can rehab ourselves from the dependency on oil, we can (as a country) be strong again.

-subfab

America has the largest amount of untapped Natural Gas in the world

if you live in America it'd come from right under your feet


theres far more Natural Gas in this world than there is Oil

I feel a major point is being missed here. These units (nor fuel cells in general) HAVE to use natural gas. They can use any hydrocarbon or hydrogen for that matter. This was stressed in the 60 Minutes segment. So the cells could be powered by renewable inputs like methane, methanol or biodiesel to name just a few. Or, more likely, they can be powered by an admixture of several sources.

Those things didn't sound completely silent. It will be interesting to see how our neighborhoods of the future sound, as there will be a discernible buzzing, or humming that will be inescapable.

Reminds me how loud it was after the hurricanes, with hundreds of generators within a several mile radius running...

I still think the completely enclosed/sealed mini-nuclear power plants are the best bet.

www.newscientist.com...

[edit on 22-2-2010 by DJM8507]

reply to post by serbsta


don't tell me, it costs over ten grand, right?

Originally posted by serbsta

Is this the future of energy consumption? Your own 'bloom box' will power your whole home. You can exist independently from any big energy companies. Sounds like its too good to be true?

many countries around the world have made it illegal for you to disconnect your home from the national grid.

there was a story in the US of a woman who was evicted by the government after she put her own solar panels on her roof to power her own home and disconnected from the grid.

in france if you produce your own electricity you must sell it to the national grid and then buy it back at a slightly higher cost.

notice how that ebay building only used them to power 15% of their building...im sure there would be a law preventing them from being completely independent.

this is a great invention but im afraid the only way your country will let you have one of these is when they have put a tax or an annual license fee on them so your still paying your government for electricity.

sucks i know

America has the largest amount of untapped Natural Gas in the world

if you live in America it'd come from right under your feet

The Economics of Natural Gas For Those With Poor Memories.


'nuff said.

[edit on 22/2/2010 by C0bzz]

Methane would be perfect to run this system on, and it could power the methane collectors in your Composting Toilet and garbage/scraps. That way it may get enough fuel from the family output to run itself. (?)

I like it. I see no reason why we can't power a small household unit with our own methane.

Originally posted by Tayesin
Methane would be perfect to run this system on, and it could power the methane collectors in your Composting Toilet and garbage/scraps. That way it may get enough fuel from the family output to run itself. (?)

I like it. I see no reason why we can't power a small household unit with our own methane.

Termites are the main source of atmospheric methane on earth. I suppose termite farms that eat waste wood might work? But it might be more efficient just to burn the wood.

While I am VERY hopeful that something like this takes off, I'm reluctant to get excited . . . seems that every time these "breakthroughs" occur they seem to disappear shortly afterwards. It's really frustrating . . .

I had a Texas Utilities (TXU) representative come out to my house last week making a "cold call" attempting to get me to sign up for a 2-year (minimum) contract at a guaranteed price. Now I have been with TXU at my current residence for 18-years and have never been approached like this before. Of course I declined, as I did not like their "cell phone company" tactics of placing a $200 fee for early cancellation...not to mention I hate solicitors...

So, now after reading this, I have to wonder if they are trying to lock people up into long-term contracts because alternative energy sources are going to hit the mainstream soon.

How long until GE buys these guys out and surpressed this thing so deep that it wouldn't bloom if you watered it everyday and sat it under a 1000W high-pressure sodium light? Forgive my cynical analogy but that's how I see it.

I'd be too scared to install this thing in my back yard it sounds loud and someone would probably steal the damn thing a 3 am in my neighborhood.

There website is the most uninformative website iv ever seen. whats the big secret other than the price? cause we all know its gonna cost a arm and a leg.

Originally posted by pteridine
reply to post by Shark_Feeder

 

One option that would prevent tinkerers from killing themselves and then suing the company into bankrupcy would be local distributed power stations. These would be like sub-stations and would power local houses and businesses. No moving parts in generation or power conditioning wold require a minimum of oversight and maintenance of the station, but the distribution network would be vulnerable to weather and other disaster. This would remove the burden from the homeowner of purchase but would not result in much lower costs.

Operated by whom, your ordinary power supplier ? That would ruin the very idea of having your OWN powerstation, it would shift control and profits from the hands of homeowners to oeprators and things will be much like it is today.

"Fuel" includes fossil fuels, and all kinds of "green" fuels...

I was watching the video and he says "We can use solar-" but it seems like he was implying there was a catch, and the video cut immediately.

Plus, the lady interviewing is just...ditsy. Especially towards the end. Not very serious about something that has such vast implications. I can't help but put my tin foil hat on and say this is a little shady. A very secret company suddenly bursting on stage with such a revolutionary technology...And how they downplay the fuel, despite its obvious necessity.

It seems ideal, I can just see how corrupt it could be though. And it's not really replacing the grid...You'll still need a line of some sort for fuel, unless you're on a natural gas deposit or something...

Sounds awesome, but I'm skeptical as to how successful it will be.

Not because of how well it might be made,

but because of the waves it will make.

Getting rid of some big power companies will make some big ripples in the pond,

knocking money out of the higher up's boats.

It may help us,

but they have more money behind them to get it canned.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

reply to post by Sickle_And_Hammer


The technology is not revolutionary. Solid Oxide Fuel Cells have been around for a long time. The part that is advantageous is the ease and cost of manufacture and the lack of platinum or palladium in the cell.
The biggest problem will be finding enough natural gas to replace the coal that makes up 55% of our electricity generation.

reply to post by C0bzz


LOL great chart!

OP thank you for posting!