by Marilla Mulwane

Created on: March 02, 2010   Last Updated: August 30, 2010

“Clean, reliable, affordable energy”…in box. That is what K.R. Sridhar of Bloom Energy promised during a segment of 60 Minutes. He claims to have invented a fuel cell that is an entire power plant in a box, and that it is green technology that will help the environment. This little box is believed to be six times more powerful than solar panels, and just as green.

-The Bloombox design-

The name says it all: The Bloombox is a simple box that has the ability to produce enough energy to run an entire home. The box he had on 60 minutes was small enough to be held in one hand. According to the creator, Sridhar, the Bloombox is made from small flat discs that produce the energy. He takes beach sand, yes beach sand, and two different inks made from a secret formula. After combining these items, Sridhar ends up with a flat disc. Imagine, if you can, one of those old floppy discs for computers. One of those discs can power a lightbulb. Now, imagine hundreds of these discs combined to power buildings, towns, the White House.

-How the Bloombox works-

The Bloombox is like a wireless router for energy. Because it is wireless, there are no need for electrical grids. That means you can say goodbye to powerlines. There is no combustion and burning of fuel. The Bloombox can supply non-stop power by running on natural gases. In the Bloombox, oxygen combines with natural gases to create electricity. It also gives off a little bit of carbon dioxide, but Sridhar promises it is not enough to worry about.

-The Bloombox and its use of natural gases-

The Bloombox is green technology, earning any users a tax break, but how clean is it really? There is already heavy debate going on about drilling for natural gases. When drilling for natural gases, water filled with harmful chemicals is pumped into the ground. Some of these chemicals are considered carcinogens and can cause cancer. Little is known if whether or not these chemicals ever leak into the ground and into water supplies. While many people praise drilling for natural gases because it creates jobs and allows the United States to make their own fuel, others worry about the environmental factors and what it can do to our drinking water.

So, the question is whether or not the Bloombox is really that environmentally friendly and green if they use natural gases from drilling. Sridhar does say, though, that the Bloombox can also be run on bio-gas from landfill wastes, and even solar energy.

-The early stages of the Bloombox and its future-

Right now a few well-known companies are already using the Bloombox for electricity. Some of them are Wal-mart, Fed-ex, Staples, and Google. Although still in the early stages and working on a getting a few bugs out, Sridhar and his money backers are hopeful that the Bloombox will soon take off. He claims that the Bloombox is made with a metal alloy instead of expensive platinum, greatly bringing down the cost. Sridhar intends to bring down the cost even more, because in ten years he wants to see a Bloombox on every front lawn in the world. At the cost of about $3000.

 Watch the 60 Minutes segment: The Bloombox - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Sources:

Lustgarten, Abrahm. Natural Gas Drilling, What We Don't Know, Pro Publica, Inc.

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