Bloom Energy says the Bloom Box will get us off the grid.

Since the world got its first glimpse at the Bloom Box during 60 Minutes Sunday night, Bloom Energy has monopolized the clean energy news. This ”secretive Silicon Valley startup,” as it is has come to be known, produces fuel cell technology that promises to get us off the grid and power our homes and businesses cleaner and cheaper. Skeptics expect we’ll be disappointed, doubting the Bloom Box can replace wind or solar as the renewable energy alternative of choice.

THE BLOOM BOX

As Bloom Energy founder K. R. Sridhar explained to Lesley Stahl during the 60 minutes interview, the fuel cell itself is made of beach sand. They bake this sand then cut it into squares. Each side of this square receives a different coat of secret formula paint — one black, one green.

The more of these fuel cells they stack on top of one another, the more power it’s going to produce through a combination of oxygen and fuel. It’s the chemical reation of these two elements combined that produces electricity.

“Our system can run on fossil fuels,” says Sridhar, “like natural gas. Our system can run on renewable energy from the landfill, bio-gas. You can use solar.”

THE PROMISE

Sridhar, who originally invented a similar device for NASA, also says:

• 2 Bloom Boxes can power one American home
• 1 Bloom Box can power one European home and four Asian homes
• 64 Bloom Boxes can power a small business, like a Starbucks
• The cost of a Bloom Box will ultimately be as low as $3,000
• Every home will have one within 10 years time

THE PESSIMISM

Skeptics say it’s doubtful Bloom Energy can do what no other clean energy company has been able to do thus far — produce fuel cell technology that can be produced on a mass scale both quickly and affordably. In fact, Bloom Energy is only able to produce one Bloom Box a day, and that’s with 10 years of development and $400 million behind it.

THE PROOF

Though the potential for mass production remains to be seen, one thing is certain. The Bloom Box does work, as can be attested by Google, eBay, FedEx and Staples, just a handful of the 20 bigname companies who Sridhar counts among his clientele.

In fact, Bloom Energy’s official launch today is at eBay headquarters where the technology has saved the company over $100,000 in electricity bills in just a few months time.

“It’s about seeing the world as what it can be,” says Sridhar, “not what it is.”

Meredith Simonds Fuel Cells, Renewable Energy Bloom Box, Bloom Energy, clean energy, ebay, fuel cell, launch, Sridhar