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End to All Power Problems

Has anyone heard of Bloom Energy? It's a new technology that many tech companies are now using to generate power off of the grid.

It takes methane (or another similar fuel) and uses fuel cells to chemically convert fuel to power. Check out the 60 minutes segment on it, pretty amazing. I think it could be a huge paradigm type shift for the entire country.

It actually works, and they are hoping to be able to get the cost down to $3000 per house. No more power bill, only a gas bill, and we have tripled our Natural Gas reserves in the country since 2007. Fewer power plants, many fewer transmission wires, less oil........

Oh yeah, and most importantly, clean power to your audio gear.
macdadtexas
4est
507 posts
 
Chadnliz- jeez, don't know where to start with that one other than two wrongs do not make a right.

As for methane, it is not just a fossil fuel, but is very easy to produce with organic waste products. The simplest example is cow manure. Farms have been producing their own heat and power that way for years. It would not take much to use this tech with a methane digester hooked up to a homes waste lines. Instead of expending energy to get rid of it, we'd get energy from it. The start up costs would be high, but as energy prices continue to rise it may look more attractive.
magfan
1,583 posts
 
Government policy has a LOT to do with this issue.

IF there were huge tax credits for say.....home methane production, you'd see more of it.
Likewise, an increase in the tax on fuel for cars would tend to decrease the amount used and 'push' those who could afford it, toward higher mileage cars.

One factor in all this 'green' stuff I've not heard mentioned is the environmental cost of this conversion. Solar Cells, for example, are manufactured using many of the techniques also used by semiconductor manufacturers. The material used for these cells is CZ grown silicon which is a very energy intensive process.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
these are not solar cells, and they don't need any gov't incentives to get them going. The marginal cost to use this technology is projected to be lower than buying power from the grid, and use less infrastructure.

To me this is not a "green" play, heck I live in Houston,TX home of big Oil, big Nat Gas, big Power (get the theme?), and I still think this is the most exciting technology (if it works as it seems it will) in my life time.

This should make a huge dent in oil consumption, and fuel a a massive surge in electric car demand. All of these new products are huge economic drivers that coud drive our econonmy for years to come.

I hope it works.
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
4est I can rest easy knowing I would win a contest of footprints anyday over most any of the hypocrits who scorn others while ignorant of their own lifestyle.
Didnt hear a word from Al in months, not during elections or anything............looks like somebody convinced him he is a fool and should stand down and SHUT UP. Cheers
danlib1
819 posts
 
Al's busy fending off Tippers lawyers right now. And Im with Macdadtexas- I hope this technology takes off as well.
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