Comments on: The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough?
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- Most of you don't know what you are talking about. It is NOT agenerator. The output is DC current, some CO2, H2 and water vapor. The natural gas has the sulfur removed before it is used. The "secret sauce" is in some undisclosed patents and knowhow, and in the use of ceramics (cheap) rather than platinum (expensive) as a medium for catalysts. There is more technology here than in any other company of its type, and it will not be easily replicated.
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- Using the rounded numbers in the article to estimate that each unit saves about $25,000 - $30,000 a year in energy costs; the payback time for this tech at current costs is 25-30 years. This is similar to some estimates for solar cells.
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- I'm not sure if I get the Wow factor. This is a generator that uses carbon based fuels. They say it's twice as efficient as a regular generator using fossil fuels or natural gas. What it will come down to is cost effectiveness. If the cost of coal is around say 10 cents per KWh, Nuclear is around 3.3 cents per hour, natural gas is around 7 cents per KWh. As solar decreases in price to around $1 per watt, a 7KW household panels would cost 7,000 plus another 7,000 for installation. This would mean that it would cost about 10 cents per hour as well over 20 years.
So, the question then becomes what are we trying to beat. If we're saying it's cheaper than natural gas by half, it's still more expensive than nuclear. Will this mean that electricity costs become cheaper? Consider Constellation Energy, it has bought a lot of old nuclear power plants extremely cheap (as they are now toxic waste sites) and yet they doubled their charge rates to consumers because the "cost of fuel went up" meaning fossil fuels.
Would our electricity prices go down if these were put on the grid? Odds are no. - Reply to this comment
- Well then... now that we know it's cost effective. We'll just have to find another way to exploit it and see how much money we can ring out from our future customers through hidden fees, unnecessary charges, and look to see if it still works upkeep.
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- It says oxygen and "fuel". What kind of fuel? only Hydrogen? Hydrogen, Natural Gas, or any other fuel gases?
So while your electric bill goes down how high will your other "fuel" bill be?
How big is a home unit? Is what he is holding a home unit size?
I guess I'll have to record 60 minutes and hope they ask right questions. The right questions are any that ask why is this any different from the fuel cells that have been created since the 60's? - Reply to this comment
- I want one! Science leading the way instead of ideology. If the republicans get control of governemnt you can kiss ideas like this goodbye.
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- Talk is cheap, lets see this thing work....then if it does, put me down for a home version asap.
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