The Bloom Energy Server (the Bloom Box) is a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) made by Bloom Energy,

of Sunnyvale, California, that can use a ide variety of in!uts (including li"uid or gaseous hydrocarbons#$% !roduced from biological sources) to generate electricity on the site here it ill be used&#'%#(% )t can ithstand tem!eratures of u! to $,*++ ,F (-*+ ,C), that ould cause many other fuel cells to brea. do n or re"uire maintenance&#/% 0ccording to the com!any, a single cell (one $++ mm 1 $++ mm metal alloy !late bet een t o ceramic layers) generates '2 atts&#2%

Bloom stated that two hundred servers have been deployed in California for corporations including eBay, Google, and Wal-Mart.[ !

Contents
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" #echnology $ Bloom %nergy

o

$." &istory

' Costs
o o

'." (nstallation '.$ )sage

* (nstallations + ,ortable units -easibility

o o

." %fficiency .$ .ong-term business case

/ Competition 0 1ee also 2 3eferences "4 %5ternal lin6s

Technology[edit]
#he Bloom %nergy 1erver uses thin white ceramic plates 7"44 8 "44 mm9[/! that are made from :beach sand:. %ach plate is coated with a green nic6el o5ide-based in6 on one side, forming the anode, and another blac6 7probably .anthanum strontium manganite9 in6 on the cathode side.[0![2! ;ccording to the San Jose Mercury News, :Bloom<s secret technology apparently lies in the proprietary green in6 that acts as the anode and the blac6 in6 that acts as the cathode...: but in fact these materials are widely 6nown in the field of 1=-Cs. Wired reported that the secret ingredient may be yttria-stabili>ed >irconia based upon )1 patent that was granted to Bloom in $442? but this material is also one of the most common electrolyte

materials in the field.["4! )1 patent $4404$ "422, assigned to Bloom %nergy Corporation, says that the :electrolyte includes yttria stabili>ed >irconia and a scandia-stabili>ed >irconia, such as a scandia ceria stabili>ed >irconia:. 1c1@ has a higher conductivity than A1@ at lower temperatures, which provides greater efficiency and higher reliability when used as an electrolyte. 1candia is scandium o5ide 71c '= $9 which is a transition metal o5ide that costs between )1B"*44 to )1B$444 per 6ilogram in 22.2C pure form. Current annual world wide production of scandium is less than $,444 6ilograms. Most of the +,444 6ilograms used annually is sourced from 1oviet era stoc6piles. #o save money, the Bloom %nergy 1erver uses ine5pensive metal alloy plates for electric conductance between the two ceramic fast ion conductor plates. (n competing lower temperature fuel cells, platinum is reDuired at the cathode.[0!

Bloom Energy[edit]
Bloom %nergy

Type

,rivately held

Predecessor(s) (on ;merica Founded Founder(s) Headquarters Key people Products et income !"ner(s) #e$site $44$ E. 3. 1ridhar C.%.= , Fohn -inn, Matthias Gottmann, Fames Mc%lroy, Gien Hguyen 1unnyvale, California, )1; E. 3. 1ridhar 7founder, C%=9 regenerative solid o5ide fuel cells 0+ Million loss 7$4409[""! Eleiner ,er6ins 7among others9 httpIJJwww.bloomenergy.comJ

Bloom Energy is the company that develops, builds, and installs Bloom %nergy 1ervers.[""! #he company, started in $44$ by C%= E.3. 1ridhar,[""! is one of $ named a $4"4 #ech ,ioneer by the World %conomic -orum.["$!

History[edit]

(n =ctober $44", C%= E.3 1ridhar met with Fohn Goerr from the venture capital firm Eleiner ,er6ins.["'! 1ridhar as6ed for more than B"44 million to start the company. Bloom %nergy eventually received B*44 million of start-up funding from venture capitalists, including Eleiner ,er6ins[0! and Kinod Ehosla.["*! #he company, originally called (on ;merica, was renamed Bloom %nergy in $44 .["+! 1ridhar credited his nine-year-old son for the name, saying that his son believed Lobs, lives, environment, and children would bloom.[" ! Michael 3. Bloomberg appeared at the launch by video lin6.["/! Bloomberg<s business news networ6 covered the event, but attributed every statement to :Bloom %nergy:.["0! #he C%= gave a media interview 7to Fortune Magazine9 for the first time in $4"4, eight years after founding the company, because of pressure from his customers.[""! ; few days later he allowed .esley 1tahl of the CB1 Hews program 60 Minutes to see the factory.["2! =n -ebruary $*, $4"4, the company held its first press conference.["+! Bloom %nergy<s well-6nown customers include Walmart, 1taples, ;#M#, ;dobe, CocaCola, %bay, Google, Ban6 of ;merica, -ed%5, .ife #echnologies,[$4! and 1afeway.

Costs[edit]
%nstallation[edit]
#he current cost of each hand-made "44 6W Bloom %nergy 1erver is B/N044,444. #he company announced plans for a smaller, home si>ed Bloom server priced under B',444.[0! Bloom estimated the si>e of a home-si>ed server at " 6ilowatt, although others recommended + 6W.[$"! #he capital cost is B/N0 per watt.[$$! ;ccording to the Hew Aor6 #imes 7Green Blog9, in early $4"" :... Bloom %nergy ... unveiled a service to allow customers to buy the electricity generated by its fuel cells without incurring the capital costs of purchasing the si5-figure devices.... )nder the Bloom %lectrons service, customers sign "4-year contracts to purchase the electricity generated by Bloom %nergy 1ervers while the company retains ownership of the fuel cells and responsibility for their maintenance.... <WeOre able to tell customers, PAou donOt have to put any money up front, you pay only for the electrons you use and itOs good for your poc6etboo6 and good for planet,O < [C%= E.3. 1ridhar! said.:[$'!

&sage[edit]
=n $* -ebruary $4"4, 1ridhar claimed that his devices were ma6ing electricity for 0N"4 centsJ6Wh using natural gas, cheaper than today<s electricity prices in some parts of the )nited 1tates, such as California.[$*![$+! #wenty percent of the cost savings depend upon avoiding transfer losses that result from energy grid use.[$"!

Bloom %nergy claimed to be developing ,ower ,urchase ;greements to sell electricity produced by the bo5es, rather than selling the bo5es themselves, in order to address customers< fears about bo5 maintenance, reliability, and servicing costs.["2! ;s of $4"4, fifteen percent of the power at eBay was created with Bloom technology? after ta5 incentives that covered half the capital costs. eBay e5pects :a three-year paybac6 period: for the remaining half, based on California<s B4."*J6Wh cost of commercial electricity. [$ !

%nstallations[edit]
#he company says that its first "44 6W Bloom %nergy 1ervers were shipped to Google in Fuly $440.[$/! -our such servers were installed at Google<s headDuarters, which became Bloom %nergy<s first customer.["2! ;nother installation of five bo5es["! produces up to +44 6W at eBay headDuarters California.["2! Bloom %nergy stated that their customers include 1taples 7'44 6W - Gecember $4409,[$0! Walmart 7044 6W - Fanuary $4"49,[$2! -ed%5 7+44 6W9,['4! #he Coca-Cola Company 7+44 6W9['"! and Ban6 of ;merica 7+44 6W9.['$![''! %ach of these installations were located in California.

Porta$le units[edit]
1ridhar announced plans to install Bloom %nergy 1ervers in third world nations.["/! %5Chairman of the Foint Chiefs of 1taff, Colin ,owell, now a Bloom %nergy board member, said the Bloom %nergy generators could be useful to the military because they are lighter, more efficient, and generate less heat than traditional generators.['*!

Feasi$ility[edit]
#he chemical reaction used to create energy in Bloom %nergy products

Bloom %nergy 1erver technology is based upon stac6ing small fuel cells which operate in concert.[/!["+! Bloom %nergy<s approach of stac6ing fuel cells that enable individual plates e5pand and contract at the same rate at high temperatures.[/! &owever, other solid o5ide fuel cell producers have solved the problem of different e5pansion rates of cells in the past.[2! 1cott 1amuelsen of the )niversity of California, (rvine Hational -uel Cell 3esearch Center Duestioned the operational life of Bloom 1ervers. :;t this point, Bloom has e5cellent potential, but they have yet to demonstrate that they<ve met the bars of reliability.: ["+! .awrence Ber6eley Hational .aboratory e5pert Michael #uc6er claimed, :Because they operate at high temperatures, they can accept other fuels li6e natural gas and methane, and that<s an enormous advantage... #he disadvantage is that they can shatter as they are heating or cooling.:["+! Kenture capitalist Fohn Goerr asserted that the Bloom %nergy 1erver is cheaper and cleaner than the grid.["!['+! ;n e5pert at Gerson .ehrman Group wrote that, given today<s electricity transmission losses of about /C and utility-si>e gas-fired power stations efficiency of ''*0C, the Bloom %nergy 1erver is up to twice as efficient as a gas-fired power station.[$! Fortune stated that :Bloom has still not released numbers about how much the Bloom Bo5 costs to operate per 6ilowatt hour: and estimates that natural gas rather than bio-gas will be

its primary fuel source.[' ! ;, reporter Fonathan -ahey in Forbes wroteI :;re we really falling for this againQ %very clean tech company on the planet says it can produce clean energy cheaply, yet not a single one can. Government subsidies or mandates 6eep the entire worldwide industry afloat. &and it to Bloom, the company has managed to tap into the hype machine li6e no other clean tech company in memory.: ['/!

E''iciency[edit]
Bloom claims a conversion efficiency of around +4C.['0! ; modern combined cycle gas turbine power plant 7CCG#9 can reach 4C overall efficiency, using a multi-step process. 1ridhar stated that Bloom<s products convert chemical energy to electrical energy in one step, are more fuel efficient than current gas-fired power stations and reduce transmissionJdistribution losses by producing power where it is used.['2! %ach Bloom %nergy 1erver provides "44 6W of power, enough to meet the baseload needs of "44 average homes or a small office building.[*4! #he average monthly electricity consumption for a ).1. residential utility customer was 2+0 6Wh per month during $4""[*"! 1ridhar said the bo5es have a "4 year life span,[$+! although that could include replacing the cells during that period. #he C%= of eBay says Bloom %nergy 1ervers have saved the company B"44,444 in electricity bills since they were installed in mid-$442,[0! Contributor at -ortune Maga>ine ,aul Eeegan calls that figure :meaningless without the details to see how he got there:.[' !

(ong)term $usiness case[edit]

;ssuming a +4C future cost reduction, one could argue that the best case scenario for the $44 6W unit would be a capital 7installed9 cost comparable to today<s "44 6W units, i.e., around B044,444. )sing average electricity 7B4."4J6Wh9 and natural gas 7B'JMMBtu9 prices and assuming a C per year maintenanceJoperating cost apart from fuel, the brea6-even period for the device comes to over 0 years, based on published performance numbers.[*$! Parameter ame *alue &nit + description -uel 7natural gas9 flow rate for ".'$ MMBtuJhr $44 6W Bloom %nergy 1erver -uel energy in rate in 6W 7" '0 ./ 6W MMB#)Jhr C&* R $2' 6W9 -uel cost B'.2 per hour %lectric output rate $44 6W 1ystem efficiency natural gas -S percent conversion of natural gas +$C electricity energy to electrical energy %lectricity cost B4."4 per 6Wh %lectricity produced revenue B$4.44 per hour C=$ produced //' lbJMWh 3un cost savings per bloom bo5 B" .4* per hour 7electricity revenue less fuel cost9 Cost savings per year assuming per year $*T/ full load operation B"*4,+"4.*4

Capital cost 7estimated minimum B044,444.44 for each $44 6W unit cost after proLected reductions9 ;nnual maintenance J operation C as a fraction of capital cost, per year cost Cost savings after maintenance B2$,+"4.*4 per year costs Brea6 even period 0. years #hese numbers mean that the total lifetime of these systems would need to e5ceed "+ N $4 years to ma6e an argument for a viable long-term business case without subsidies. #he analysis might be somewhat different if the systems are used mainly for pea6 7power9 shaving when electricity costs can e5ceed B4."+J6Wh. &owever, the intermittent nature of such pea6 periods would li6ely reduce the overall impact on the estimated brea6-even period using average cost figures for electricity and natural gas. ; reliable bio-derived source of fuel 7bio-gas9 would also tip the argument in a favorable direction, however such sources are not typically located near customer sites.[citation needed!

Competition[edit]
; Gerson .ehrman Group analyst wrote that G% dismantled its fuel cell group five years ago and 1iemens almost dismantled theirs.[$! )nited #echnologies is the only large conglomerate that has competitive fuel cell technology.[$! #oshiba has technology to provide energy for a small device, not a neighborhood.[$! 1print owns "+ patents on hydrogen fuel cells and is using $+4 fuel cells to provide bac6up power for its operations. 1print has been using fuel cell power since $44+. (n $442, 1print<s fuel cell program received a grant of B/.' million from the )nited 1tates Gepartment of %nergy to e5pand the hydrogen capacity of its fuel cell tan6s from providing up to "+ hours of bac6up power, to /$ hours.[*'! 1print partnered with 3eli=n and ;ltergy for fuel cell manufacture, and with ;ir ,roducts as a hydrogen supplier. German fuel cell firm ,$" has been wor6ing on similar proLects to supply bac6up power for cellular operations.[**! )nited #echnologies ma6es fuel cells costing B*,+44 per 6ilowatt. (n =ctober $442, the Gepartment of %nergy awarded nearly )1G B$+ million in grants for research and development of solar fuels.["4![*+! (n =ctober $4"$, the )1 government awarded Bloom %nergy B/4,/"4,2+2 under its section " 4' energy awards program.[* ! ; competitor claimed the Bloom Bo5 uses a :thic6 electrolyte: that reDuires 244 UC temperatures to overcome electrical resistance. #opsoe -uel Cell[*/! and Ceres ,ower instead employ :thic6 anode: technology that allows operation at cooler temperature. Ceres has a four-year program to install '/,+44 units in the homes of customers of the )E<s British Gas.
[*0!

Ballard ,ower<s comparably scaled products are based on proton e5change membrane fuel cells. Ballard<s "+4 6W units are intended for mobile applications such as municipal buses,[*2! while their larger " MW stationary systems are configured from ban6s of "" 6W building bloc6s.[+4!

;nother competitor in %urope and ;ustralia is Ceramic -uel Cells. (t claims an efficiency of 4C for the power-only units? these fuel cells are based on technology spun off from ;ustralia<s C1(3=.[+"!