Bloom Box: A Green Power Plant for Your Home
Bloom Box
A Green Power Plant in a bread-loaf size Box, for your home!
The world is undergoing through a severe energy crisis, forcing the scientists to innovate for alternate sources of energy. The focus is on renewable sources of energy which are considered as green technologies.
The world is undergoing through a severe energy crisis, forcing the scientists to innovate for alternate sources of energy. The focus is on renewable sources of energy which are considered as green technologies.
All eyes are on Bloom Box fuel cell, going to be official launched in Silicon Valley on 24 Feb. 2010. Check out the following features of Bloom Box:-
- A power plant in a small box for your home/office.
- One unit can be as small as the size of a bread-loaf.
- A bread-loaf sized unit can power one American home.
- Unit does not vibrate, emits no sound, no smell.
- Unit can be scaled up for more power.
- Bio-fuel, Bio gas can be pumped up to produce clean energy.
- Can also be connected to conventional electric grids.
Google, Wal-Mart, eBay, FedEx and few other corporate customers are quietly (secretly) using it from last one year or so. The first customer Google is using it from last 18 months to power one of its Data Centers. eBay has installed Bloom Boxes on the front lawn of its San Jose location and it receives almost 15% of its energy needs from Bloom, saving about $100,000 since installing its five boxes 9 months ago. These corporate customers are using refrigerator-sized Bloom Boxes. The corporate-sized cells cost $700,000 to $800,000. Quite expensive!
The Brain Behind Bloom Box
The man behind this magical Bloom Box is Dr K. R. Sridhar, founder of Bloom Energy, a Non Resident Indian in United States. Sridhar initially developed the idea behind the Bloom Box while working with NASA, as a means of producing oxygen for astronauts landing on Mars.
Dr Sridhar holds a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras, India. He earned an MS in Nuclear Engineering and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
When can you expect a Bloom Box at your Home
Sridhar estimates that a Bloom Box for your home will be out with in a time frame of 5 to 10 years. "In five to ten years, we would like to be in every home,” told Sridhar in an interview with a News channel.
Estimated Price of a Bloom Box
Bloom Box for home users will be priced under $ 3,000. Considering the current price it looks quite challenging.
If Sridhar succeeds it will be a boon for developing countries like India; as it will fulfill the energy needs of remote villages in a clean & green way.
Other Technology Articles you may find Interesting
Wireless Electricity: A Game Changing Innovation
15 comments
Similar innovation but with different means!!!
Martin Winlow, UK.
still i m happy as i needed this info for a project
thank u very much
virtual office