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Major US companies sign up for fuel cell system
Released on 03/03/2010
Silicon Valley-based Bloom Energy Corporation has launched a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) product it claims will provide clean power for buildings.
Bank of America, Coca-Cola, FedEx, Staples and Walmart are among the first customers of the so-called Bloom Energy Server – or Bloom Box – which was officially launched on 24th February with endorsements from California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former US Secretary of State General Colin Powell, who sits on the Bloom board.
The Bloom Energy Server converts air and fuel – ranging from natural gas to biogases – into electricity via an electrochemical process, rather than combustion. Running on a fossil fuel the systems are around 67% cleaner than a typical coal-fired power plant, and when powered by a renewable fuel, they can be 100% cleaner.
The company says its Energy Server takes up roughly the footprint of a parking space and produces 100 kilowatts (kW) of power, enough to meet the needs of 100 average US homes or a small office building. For more power, customers can install multiple ‘Bloom Boxes’ side by side.
Bloom says it’s fuel cell technology is different from hydrogen fuel cells in that it uses lower cost materials, is more efficient, can run on a wider range of renewable or traditional fuels, and is more easily deployed and maintained.
It says customers will see a return on their investment thanks to lower energy costs in three to five years, and can achieve a 40% to 100% reduction in their carbon footprint by switching off the U.S. national grid.
The system has been in commercial testing since July 2008.
Founded in 2001, Bloom Energy can trace its roots to the NASA Mars space program.
Each Energy Server consists of thousands of Bloom’s fuel cells – flat, solid ceramic squares.
