Box of Clean Cheap Energy Blooms in Calif.

(CBS)  Seldom has the unveiling of a grey box the size of a parking space been surrounded by such hype.

But its inventor says what's inside the box can supply the world with clean, cheap energy, reports CBS News Correspondent John Blackstone.

Following its television debut on CBS News' "60 Minutes" Sunday, the Bloom Box was formally introduced to the public at eBay's headquarters in San Jose, Calif.

(Scroll down to watch the "60 Minutes" report)

"The core of our technology is simply sand," Bloom Energy founder K.R. Sridhar said at Wednesday's unveiling.

More "60 Minutes" Coverage
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Web Extra: Naming The Bloom Box
Web Extra: A Skeptic's View

The sand is the raw material used to make wafers that can make electricity.

Bloom's fuel cell works like this: Oxygen is pumped in on one side and natural gas on the other. The two combine inside the cell to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity. No burning, no combustion, no power lines from outside.

Bloom's founder has persuaded some big names that by making them out of sand he can make fuel cells that are efficient and inexpensive.

"Will it work for 10 or 20 years without something going wrong? We'll find out," former Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell, a Bloom Energy board member, said Wednesday.

Bloom Energy says the best proof that its fuel cells work is in the ones already working like those at eBay's headquarters, but Bloom is not the only company pursuing this kind of technology.

One of Bloom's many competitors, UTC Power has built fuel cells for some supermarkets, a casino and even a high school, but they are expensive. Now the race is on to see who can make them affordable.

A half-dozen big companies have already bought Bloom Boxes at a cost of $700,000 to $800,000. But Sridhar's goal is a $3,000 box that anybody can use to power their home.

"There's always the hope that the price will come all the way down like they did on computers," said University of California Berkeley physicist Richard Muller.

But even the Bloom Box's inventor says home use is 10 years away.

"Don't start signing up for orders yet," said Sridhar. "This is a product of the future."

A future that's at least a decade away.


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[geminispyder-2009]

Remember, the last time CBS hyped up anything like this, Kimbo Slice got knocked out in 12 seconds.

[psinha18]

Its a great invention. How about the safety aspects because of high level of chemical reaction happing inside the cell and the high tempeature that the process creates?

[sjc_1]

Methane (CH4) becomes CO and H2 which combine with oxygen and make CO2 and H20, heat and electricity. The 1000F heat can be used with a gas turbine and steam turbine and the condenser can be used for heating a cooling. Nothing goes to waste and no toxic materials are emitted.

[sjc_1]

This is nothing magic, it is a lower cost SOFC which is proven technology. Once they get their MTBF and accelerated lifetime data done, we can see what they really have.

How I see it...using this fuel cell will still keep us tied to big oil and all the things we dislike about it. It appears "they" are scared that renewables are making inroads and that they are not benefiting financially as much as they would like. Remember...it all boils down to money.

[rightbehind]

Finally science leading the way instead of ideology. Republicans gain control back and they'll bury this quick. Put me down for one. I need one for my home.

[venus_fly_trap]

Cold fusion anyone?

[sjc_1]

This is not cold fusion and nothing like it. It is proven technology made more cost effective. They have just made an SOFC less expensive, that kind of fuel cell has been in successful operation for decades.