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The Bloom Energy Server

The Bloom Energy Server has been creating quite a buzz in the energy industry the past few years. Built on fuel cell technology, the Bloom Energy Server promises to cut down electricity costs and reduce environmental damage caused by coal plants. But is this just a pipe dream or is it really true? Let's take a closer look.

Bloom Energy was founded in 2002 by K.R. Sridhar. The name "Bloom" reportedly came from his son, who remarked that the technology would allow jobs, lives, children and the environment to bloom as they had never done before. Currently, Bloom Energy only makes energy servers for businesses. These servers are massive and are as large as a parking lot. Although they cost $800,000, they can cut the cost of electricity in half.

Bloom Energy Servers are currently in use by a few notable companies who have agreed to test the technology. Google, a company known to be on the forefront off technology themselves, was their very first customer. Since Google signed on with Bloom Energy in July 2008, quite a few other large corporations have readily joined the project, including Coca-Cola, eBay, Bank of America, FedEx, and Wal-Mart.

Bloom Energy's technology is a bit of a secret. It's based on a patent that they filed in 2006, but as a Guardian report noted, "industry watchers say they remain unsure exactly how it works."

However, it does work nonetheless. Like most fuel-cell technologies, it is powered by natural gas. Each server consists of a large number of stacked "cells", which consists of two 10cm x 10cm ceramic plates sandwiched around a metal alloy plate. Each ceramic plate is coated on one side with a green chemical ink, while the other side is coated with a black chemical ink. Experts believe that the secret to Bloom Energy's technology lies within the proprietary green ink.

Each server produces energy on the spot, so each company that buys a Bloom Energy Server becomes somewhat self-sufficient and less reliant on the electricity grid. Bloom Energy is currently designing a smaller server that could be used to help power individual homes. These will be significantly less expensive, at around $3000.

Currently, the Bloom Energy Servers can produce electricity from natural gas at the rate of about 8-10 cents per kilowatt hour. For many Americans, this is less than they currently pay for electricity from their local utility company. However, because of the upfront costs, it may take from 3 to 5 years for the device to pay for itself. After this initial period of time, customers and businesses can expect to see a significant savings in their monthly electricity bill. There is also the possibility that owners of the Bloom Energy Server could actually sell their unused electricity back to their local electric company. This could mean that frugal energy users might actually be able to receive a monthly electricity credit rather than an electricity bill.

There are also some environmental benefits. If Bloom Energy Servers gain widespread adoption, it means we would be less reliant on our coal plants, which have a reputation for polluting the environment. Bloom Energy Servers are also more efficient. Approximately 20% of the energy produced by coal plants is lost as it travels through the energy grid, but energy produced onsite doesn't have this problem.

Although Bloom Energy Servers sounds like a great idea, there are quite a few detractors. Many think that individuals don't want to have to maintain their own miniature power plant at their home. It's possible that utility companies will have to adopt them themselves or lease them to consumers and provide regular service and maintenance. They are also some worries that they won't be as reliable as promised. Bloom Energy claims that the servers will last at least 10 years each, but since the company has only been in existence for 8 years, there is no way to prove that.

It will be interesting to watch this story as it unfolds. There is a possibility that soon we will all know the name Bloom Energy, but there is also the possibility that it is yet another energy solution that promises to solve all our problems but doesn't quite deliver.