Technical Ceramics in the Bloom Box?

We recently wrote about piezoelectric ceramics in energy harvesting applications, but technical ceramics are being used in an even more exciting (to some) energy application: the Bloom Box. Hailed as a "power plant in a box," the Bloom Box, from Bloom Energy, is basically a refrigerator-sized box that houses a group of fuel cells, which use oxygen, fuel, and heat to create electricity with virtually no emissions. The Bloom Box was invented by K.R. Sridhar, CEO of Bloom Energy. It was originally envisioned as a device to manufacture oxygen on Mars; when the manned Mars trip was scrapped by NASA, Sridhar refocused his efforts, resulting in the Bloom Box (technically the Bloom Energy Server).

So how do technical ceramics play a role in the Bloom Energy Server? Well, it is comprised of solid oxide fuel cells, and the fuel cells are made from technical ceramics. Each Bloom Energy server uses thin white ceramic plates, which are made from sintered modified zirconia. These plates, which are known as ceramic fast ion conductor plates, are then coated with a green ink or a black ink in order to create the anode and cathode portions of the fuel cell. The third part of the fuel cell, the electrolyte, is speculated to be comprised of yttria-stabilized zirconia. Technical ceramics play a huge role in the Bloom Energy Server!

Why is the Bloom Energy Server so ballyhooed? About twenty well-known companies--including Google, FedEx, Walmart, Staples, and eBay--have already integrated it into their power chain. About nine months ago, eBay installed five Bloom Boxes at its San Jose, CA campus; the company has claimed energy-related savings of more than $100,000 in that period. There are concerns over the technology, still. The technology is prohibitively expensive: Each unit costs between $700,000 and $800,000. Sridhar has said he wants to get get costs down to about $2,000 per unit--eventually. They may also have problems providing around-the-clock, 24/7 use. The technology, however, is still in a relatively early stage. The fact that it's out in the real world, offering real world energy savings, is a pretty spectacular notion. If the Bloom Box can scale down to consumer and third world applications, it may well promote and offer new avenues of growth for the technical ceramics industry along the way.