bloom box
Latest
North Carolina approves Apple's plans for 4.8-megawatt fuel cell facility
Things are looking green around Apple's Maiden, North Carolina data center, and it's not just due to the fact that it's springtime. The North Carolina Utilities Commission has approved (PDF) Apple's plans to construct and operate a 4.8-megawatt fuel cell facility at the data center, providing green power for at least a portion of the electricity needs of the huge location. As noted previously on TUAW, Apple will be using natural gas-powered fuel cells called Bloom Boxes to generate electricity and exhaust CO2 and water to the environment with no combustion byproducts. The natural gas will come from a local pipeline provider; that gas will be offset by purchases of biogas from another provider, keeping the power as green as possible. The installation will be the nation's biggest private fuel cell energy project. Apple already uses some of the Bloom Boxes at the Cupertino campus; manufacturer Bloom Energy is located in nearby Sunnyvale, CA. The approval of the fuel cell power plant at the Maiden facility follows a similar approval last week when Apple got the OK to build a 20-megawatt photovoltaic solar facility.
Daily Update for April 2, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple plans nation's biggest private fuel cell energy project
Apple has made several moves lately that point to it becoming one of the nation's leaders in terms of adopting clean energy technology. First, the company announced that is installing a 20-megawatt solar farm across from the Maiden, North Carolina data center. Now the Greenboro, N.C. News & Record reports that the company plans to install the largest private fuel cell energy project in America near Maiden. The project, which should be producing energy by the end of the year, will use large modular fuel cells from Bloom Energy of Sunnyvale, California. The company's "Bloom Boxes" (see photo above) are in use in a number of other fuel cell projects throughout the country, primarily in California. Fuel cells produce electrical energy from hydrogen gas through an electro-chemical process, with water being the only byproduct. They've been used on NASA spacecraft for years, and have only recently made an impact on electrical power generation. The technology is rather expensive, which is why most fuel cell installations have been made in California where the state provides incentives equal to about half of the installation cost. Apparently, the hydrogen fuel will be produced from natural gas feedstocks, with Apple hoping to offset the use of natural gas with landfill methane gas or other biogas. Bloom Boxes are being used for clean energy production by a number of other large tech firms, including Adobe, eBay, and Google.
AT&T becomes the first telco to use energy-efficient Bloom Box servers, will power 11 sites in California
Remember Bloom Energy servers, those low-cost, energy-efficient fuel cells born out of a scrapped NASA project? The company made a splashy debut last year, starting with a spot on 60 Minutes and a long list of early-adopting corporate heavyweights like FedEx, Walmart, Google, Coca-Cola, Staples, and eBay. Since then, we haven't heard much from the company, but today she's back -- AT&T says it will be the first telco to use these refrigerator-sized servers to power its operations. For now, the company's planning on using the technology to run 11 sites in California, a move AT&T says will cut its carbon dioxide emissions in half and virtually eliminate SOx, NOx, and other smog-forming particles. All told, its servers should produce 62 million kWh of power annually -- once all of these servers are fully up and running sometime in the middle of next year, that is. We say good on AT&T, though we'll really be stoked when these things start lighting up more average Joe homes.
Bloom Electrons' pay-what-you-consume service thinks outside the Box
Bloom Energy's aptly-titled Bloom Box made a splash last year with much hooplah, bringing the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Colin Powell to its unveiling. But while the promise of efficient fuel cell technology is great for the eco-minded and even the long-term penny-pincher, the mid-to-high six-figure upfront cost limits the potential customer base to only the upper echelon of the environmentally conscious. Cue Bloom Electrons -- instead of paying for the Bloom Boxes and owning them outright, you can lease a 2MW installation for no money down and pay only for the electrons you use. A 10-year contract is required, which yes does put your smartphone commitment to shame, but Bloom hopes this Credit Suisse / Silicon Valley Bank-backed plan opens the door for educational institutions and non-profits to join in on the fun. Press release after the break.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: speed demon saws, emergency bras, and the pedal-powered monorail
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week China blazed a trail for green transportation as their newest train smashed the world record for high-speed rail travel. We also showcased a cutting edge vehicle powered by six circular saws and saw Google invest 1 million dollars in Shweeb's bicycle powered monorail - we can't wait to give it a spin! We also saw big things brewing for alternative energy as wave power lit up the US energy grid for the first time and Stanford scientists unveiled a new type of nanotech solar cells that can produce ten times more electricity than standard PV's yet are thinner than a wavelength of light. Adobe also kept step with the latest in energy tech by upgrading its campus with a dozen Bloom Box fuel cells, and Volvo unveiled plans to create a new type of car body that doubles as a battery! In other news, this week we spotted a great crop of green gadgets including an "emergency bra" that doubles as a gas mask, a flexible new type of electronic skin, and a stunning collection of recycled speaker art, fit to mount on your wall. We also rounded up our five favorite eco gadgets for guys and we ooh'd and aww'd at these incredibly detailed scooters made out of paper!
Engadget Podcast 185 - 02.26.2010
What would have been a perfectly fine, eco-friendly, nicely paced, and Apple-free podcast is ruined by a surprise appearance by jetsetting Engadget Editor-in-Chief Joshua Topolsky.P.S.- KHOTAR. Keyboard Haptic Operation and Tactility Assessment Review. Think about it.Hosts: Nilay Patel, Paul MillerGuests: Ross Miller, Josh TopolskyProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Mighty Mike - In Bloom (Mike's Rockabye Mix)Hear the podcast00:02:28 - The Bloom Box: a power plant for the home (video)00:05:05 - Live from the Bloom Box press event00:08:00 - Bloom 'Box' Energy Server hands-on (literally) with video!00:11:58 - Nintendo DSi XL hands-on00:15:00 - Nintendo to release 100 Classic Book Collection for DS on June 1400:23:16 - Palm sales 'lower than expected,' revenues to miss targets00:24:14 - Analysts turn sour on Palm stock, cite weak sales on Verizon00:30:55 - Motorola Devour goes hands-on, hits Best Buy for $99 this week (update: video!)00:46:05 - Engadget PMA 2010 coverage00:54:21 - Alienware M11x review01:01:55 - The winners of the 2009 Engadget Awards!01:10:38 - Engadget for iPhone / iPod touch 2.0.1 now available!01:11:47 - The Engadget Show returns this Saturday, Feb. 27th... now with live streaming! Subscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcast1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @ohnorosco @engadget
Bloom 'Box' Energy Server hands-on (literally) with video!
So here it is, the now-famous (that was fast) Bloom "Box" Energy Servers -- all five of 'em -- working their magic at eBay's north campus. Not much to look at, but we're happy to say it retains a low temperature -- the only heat we really found was due to direct exposure to the light -- and remains quiet while running. There are vents just underneath the sides where cool air was being pumped out. Of course, its raison d'etre is its ability to more efficiently deliver power, which is not something we can really test ourselves. Bloom Energy showcased a number of customers today -- FedEx, Walmart, Staples, Google, Coca-Cola, Bank of America, Cox, and of course, eBay -- and if the numbers meet their mark, you can color us mighty impressed. You know the drill: gallery below, quick video after the break! %Gallery-86437% %Gallery-86409%
Live from the Bloom Box press event
We're here live at the Bloom Box press event, waiting for our power to be revolutionized.
The Bloom Box: a power plant for the home (video)
Those two blocks can power the average high-consumption American home -- one block can power the average European home. At least that's the claim being made by K.R. Sridhar, founder of Bloom Energy, on 60 Minutes last night. The original technology comes from an oxygen generator meant for a scrapped NASA Mars program that's been converted, with the help of an estimated $400 million in private funding, into a fuel cell. Bloom's design feeds oxygen into one side of a cell while fuel (natural gas, bio gas from landfill waste, solar, etc) is supplied to the other side to provide the chemical reaction required for power. The cells themselves are inexpensive ceramic disks painted with a secret green "ink" on one side and a black "ink" on the other. The disks are separated by a cheap metal alloy, instead of more precious metals like platinum, and stacked into a cube of varying capabilities -- a stack of 64 can power a small business like Starbucks. Now get this, skeptics: there are already several corporate customers using refrigerator-sized Bloom Boxes. The corporate-sized cells cost $700,000 to $800,000 and are installed at 20 customers you've already heard of including FedEx and Wal-mart -- Google was first to this green energy party, using its Bloom Boxes to power a data center for the last 18 months. Ebay has installed its boxes on the front lawn of its San Jose location. It estimates to receive almost 15% of its energy needs from Bloom, saving about $100,000 since installing its five boxes 9 months ago -- an estimate we assume doesn't factor in the millions Ebay paid for the boxes themselves. Bloom makes about one box a day at the moment and believes that within 5 to 10 years it can drive down the cost to about $3,000 to make it suitable for home use. Sounds awfully aggressive to us. Nevertheless, Bloom Energy will go public with details on Wednesday -- until then, check the 60 Minutes sneak peek after the break. [Thanks, Abe P.]
