Bloom Box “Miracle” Micro Power Plant Officially Unveiled

<small>Source: <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000091-248.html?tag=mncol;title">CNET</a><p></small> The newswires have been buzzing, <em>nay</em>, booming this morning in anticipation of the <a href="http://news.cnet.com/">official unveiling</a> of the <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/22/bloom-energy-set-to-unveil-miraculous-micro-power-plant/">Bloom Box</a>. In case you're not up to speed yet, the big deal is that this possibly world-changing device promises to house ample amounts of power in relatively tiny amounts of space for <strong>less than $3,000 a unit</strong>.We gave you a <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/22/bloom-energy-set-to-unveil-miraculous-micro-power-plant/">sneak peek</a> of this so-called "miracle" micro power plant earlier in the week speculating (with a critical eye) about what the secret of the <a href="http://earth2tech.com/2010/02/24/live-the-bloom-energy-unveiling-event/#more-52078">Bloom Box's</a> claims could be, but we were definitely intrigued by what <a href="http://www.bloomenergy.com/">Bloom</a>'s CEO, K.R. Sridhar, uncovered, literally, <a href="http://news.cnet.com/">in his presentation</a>. We've been following <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000091-248.html?tag=mncol;title">CNET</a> and <a href="http://earth2tech.com/2010/02/24/live-the-bloom-energy-unveiling-event/#more-52078">Earth2Tech</a>'s coverage from the event - click through the slideshow of their pics from the press conference for a full recap of this fascinating revelation, that could (if it is everything that is says it is) change the world as we know it.

<small>Source: <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000091-248.html?tag=mncol;title">CNET</a></small> Members of the media gathered at eBay's San Jose headquarters just a few hours ago (in fact, they are still there right now) to see Bloom Energy founder K.R. Sridhar officially unveil the Bloom Box. Other notable speakers are venture capitalist John Doerr, who currently sits on President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, former Secretary of State and current Bloom Energy board member Colin Powell, as well as a surprise visit from a "prominent California government official"...

<small>Source: <a href="http://earth2tech.com/2010/02/24/live-the-bloom-energy-unveiling-event/#more-52078">Earth2Tech</a></small><p> ...and he showed up! Gov. Schwarzenegger kicked off the conference by introducing Bloom Energy and saying that it is "60% cleaner than coal." He also mentioned other steps that California has been doing to further clean energy. "Big things like AB 32, million solar roof program, and hydrogen highway have been groundbreaking. We're doing what govt does best. Making laws and setting standards and getting out of the way," he said. "Green jobs have grown 10x faster than other areas. Even in the recession. We want that future and we want those jobs. Proposing a job package, to exempt purchase of green equipment from CA sales tax."

<small>Source: <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000091-248.html?tag=mncol;title">CNET</a></small> Atop the stage sits a mysterious box covered in a black sheet - could it be a Bloom Box waiting to be uncovered?

<small>Source: <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000091-248.html?tag=mncol;title">CNET</a></small> To start off his talk, Sridhar pointed out that his goal was not only to make clean energy better, but to make it cheaper and accessible to everyone. "Without energy these people don't have a passport to economic growth," he said. "The geopolitical and social impact on this, is a very big part of world politics and policy. We saw this as a call to our generation. A call to make an impact. To do good, and make good. World needs accessible energy that is sustainable." "We felt it was our calling to make this technology." And then he uncovered the mystery box...

<small>Source: <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000091-248.html?tag=mncol;title">CNET</a></small><p> It's sand! "Sand is both plentiful and cheap and Sridhar explained that they would be bake it using a process called "powder to power."

<small>Source: <a href="http://earth2tech.com/2010/02/24/live-the-bloom-energy-unveiling-event/#more-52078">Earth2Tech</a></small><p> The idea would be to take a stack of the resulting fuel cells and stack them to form modules and systems that could power things with amazing efficiency. (The stack that Sridhar is holding in <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/24/bloom-box-miracle-micro-power-plant-officially-unveiled/bloom-box-2/?extend=1">the first image in the slideshow</a> can supposedly power a house). Now, as we mentioned when <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/22/bloom-energy-set-to-unveil-miraculous-micro-power-plant/">we wrote about the Bloom Box</a>, saying that it can change the world is quite a big claim to live up to. However, this unveiling gives us a more concrete picture of how the Bloom Box operates, and the fact that companies like <a href="http://www.walmart.com/">Wal-Mart</a> and <a href="http://ebay.com/">eBay</a> (who both have representatives participating in the panel discussion immediately following Sridhar's presentation is a good sign. Stay tuned for more updates about this fascinating breakthrough.