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We first wrote about Bloom Energy back when there was next-to-nothing to know about them. The mystery surrounded why one of the nation's largest venture capital firms was funding a guy who had invented a new kind of ultra-efficient fuel cell.
I mean, obviously fuel cells have lots of applications...but what was the application that really brought Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers to the table? Well, we made a guess back then, that it would lie home power generation. Turns out we were 100% right on that count, and now Bloom Energy is nearly ready to unveil it's mysterious product to the world.
A recent story in the New York Times discusses Bloom at length, and says that they're looking at commercialization within one or two years. That's good for investors, who've already dumped $250 M into Bloom. But we still have to wonder what Bloom is doing that requires 200 employees and $250 M.
Here's the short answer: Bloom Energy wants your house to be a power plant. They want the natural gas line to go straight into their ultra-efficient fuel cell, and then that fuel cell will provide exactly the amount of power you need. And, in places with smart grids, Bloom might even offer you the opportunity to make a profit by selling your electricity back to the grid during peak hours.
Because Bloom's fuel cells are nearly twice as efficient as natural gas peaking plants, and have 40% of the emissions, the little box would do more than save the environment, it would save you a lot of money.
Which is what they're betting on because, at first, these fuel cell packages will certainly cost tens of thousands of dollars. But this device has the power to completely eliminate the need for new power plants in America, so it's easy to see how a venture capital company could get excited about it. I certainly am.
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written by Eniryt Manaen, October 08, 2008
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written by s, October 09, 2008
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written by Carl, October 09, 2008
For a fuel cell at 50% efficiency, you'd need 27 therms/mo for 800kWh electricity plus 27 therms of heat at near 100% efficiency (maybe ~$60/mo in gas).
Your best bet is to figure out how to reduce your use to 500kWh/mo.
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I think using natural gas for energy is a little bit misguided in the first place, considering that you can achieve >90% efficiency by burning it for heat in the winter. I suppose if these fuel cells work at a similar efficiency (which I am not sure is even thermodynamically possible), I'd be willing to re-evaluate my position.
It's certainly better than new plants - I just wonder if we've got the natural gas reserve capacity to deal with the increased demand.
It could be a worthwhile stop-gap, either way. Perhaps the solar cells can be retrofitted for hydrogen in the future, for use as a storage device in microgenerated solar/wind systems?