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diggbAug 8, 2011
What set's Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cells apart from other technologies is the fact that they are based off of low cost ceramics instead of very costly platinum. So yes, they do wear out, but they should be quite a bit cheaper to manufacture/replace than other fuel cell manufacturers.
outerboxthinkerAug 8, 2011
Hey Katie Fehrenbacher, so why Google picked Bloom Energy over ClearEdge Power when ClearEdge Power has a better cost effective plan?
Closed AccountAug 8, 2011
Blooming energy? Are flowers involved?
bestenemyAug 8, 2011
How about hydrogen technology being non-viable in every aspect. No effective way of storing hydrogen. Fuel tanks wear out as quickly as the catalyst component, due to thermal fluctuation and constant compression/decompression. No way to efficiently produce and transport hydrogen. No way to efficiently turn it into electricity without losing more energy than a chemical cell consumes throughout discharge.
How about the need for much larger fuel tanks due to lower energy density in hydrogen compared to gasoline (at least 1.6 times lower, depending on concentration of semi-liquefied gas). How about still not having any comprehensive crash test reports on those "revolutionary" carbon-fiber tanks? How about having nothing but catch phrases backing the technology. It runs on the most abundant element on the planet. Yeah? Try separating it from water. See how abundant it is in its raw form.
Hydrogen is good for one thing though - sucking money out of the investors that don't know anything about the technology and for milking federal subsidies. Just keep paying for the research. They'll gladly run it for another hundred years.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
diggbAug 9, 2011
You have many valid points about hydrogen (It's true that hydrogen has an energy density is quite a bit lower than fossil fuels). However, the Bloom Energy Server does not require pure hydrogen to run and can use a variety of renewable or fossile fuels such as natural gas.
Also, by referring to "crash tests", I'm assuming you believe that Bloom Energy fuel cells are being considered for cars. They are not. Bloom Energy Servers are being sold as a means of powering homes and businesses.
Source: http://bloomenergy.com/products/what-is-an-energy-server/
bestenemyAug 9, 2011
Powering homes is more efficient in a current centralized form. Spreading energy though an already established grid is cheaper then delivering fuel to homes for processing (even if it's natural gas). With fuel cells - one thing they're good for is backup generators.
They had the most research appeal when the scientists were trying to put them into vehicles. Put them elsewhere and they cease to be "special", due to variety of other options.
If they market the technology to homes and businesses, then their best bet is demand in 3rd world countries with poorly developed infrastructure, where the need for decentralized power generation actually exists.