Bloom Energy: Getting Off the Electrical Grid
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.30.07
Business 2.0, in what may be it's last issue, lists "10 game-changing startups most likely to upend existing industries" including Bloom Energy, which moves the source of electricity from the central plant to your home, where a fuel cell converts almost any hydrocarbon fuel- ethanol, biodiesel, mathan or natural gas- into electricity. The solid-oxide fuel cells produce half the greenhouse gas of conventional burning, but the real savings comes from eliminating the transmission losses between the central plant and home.
But it is not really getting off the grid, it still needs hydrocarbons and a delivery network for them; would renewables like sun and wind not be a better investment? Useless site at ::Bloom Energy via ::Business 2.0
Is it becoming Business 3.0 then?
By the way I'm writing this thru Web 7.0 - I don't what that means but you know it sounds AWESOME
Quite agree. The issue is about chnaging habits of how electricity is generated. I would have to say that fuel cells do offer some excellent potential.
I've already got a gas furnace. It would be great to cut my electricity entirely and use just the natural gas, especially if it would cost less and I could sell excess back to the grid.
and even though aforementioned fuel cells produce only half the greenhouse gas of conventional burning, it is much harder (read almost impossible) to install and maintain effective emission control equipment in such distributed setting. In the end result it would probably give higher emisisons.
I think you are missing the point... it is a fuel cell - it does not have any emissions at all at the point of generation (in your home) The greenhouse gases are produced while getting the fuel to you.
Actually, if the source of fuel was bio-diesel, then it would be carbon neutral. What we should be doing is trying to get oil companies to switch to producing algae based bio-diesel. A whole new industry would spring up to serve consumers with products that will have to be replaced every 20 years (then every 15, 10, 5, and as far as I've seen 3, if the auto industry is any indication), all dependant on the former oil companies. Just the way they like it. If they're going to have us over a barrel anyways, we might as well try to convince them to do it cleanly...
Its important to note that many energy providers quitely switched their pricing stucture such that the major cost is the cost of the connection and the actual cost of usuage is not that high - for the average home at least - so staying on the grid means they still get that connection fee.
There is a way to get off the dirty grid, click below to learn more:
There is a way to get off the dirty grid, click below to learn more:
Kit, of course it produces emissions at the point of use. you're confusing the type of fuel cell that uses hydrogen as its energy source, vs this one that uses hydrocarbons in most cases.
In any case, fuel cells result in emissions at some point in the pathway from energy source to point of consumption. only way around is to provide an energy source not derived from fossil or carbon sources (eg wind, hydro, etc)