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Alternative Energy: The Bloom Box

August 29, 2010 5:00 PM

Large corporations in California have been testing a new device that can generate power on the spot, without being connected to the electric grid. They're saying it's efficient, clean, and saves them money. Will we have one in every home someday?

The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough?
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by hudeosbo October 2, 2012 7:03 PM EDT
I am 65 years old and I thought that the Bloom Box was the greatest thing I had ever heard of. I still think I do. I think, because I don't know what the deal is. Why are they not being mass produced? I seen the Sixty Minutes episode and was certain that we would have them available and I never even hear the name mentioned. I visit their web site from time to time and see where another big building in California is being powered with one. Does anyone know what happened? Does Sixty Minutes have plans for a follow up? I sure hope this occurs worldwide before I die!
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by jeffreyeg August 7, 2012 1:30 PM EDT
Note that the Bloom technology began as a moon-Mars mission funded technology to generate oxygen on Mars.

Strangling our space exploration initiatives because "...we cannot afford it" as Obama remarked, is writing the end of technology development that fuel US defense security and the core of the technology engine that sustains our country.

It is ironic that the very thing that we need our government to do: fuel technology to provide for national security and power the technology engine of our society is the very thing that Obama says we cannot afford.
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by larry3100 August 3, 2012 5:16 PM EDT
Pot growers are going to love this thing.All they have to do is make their own bio-gas ,and run a gas pipe into the Bloom Energy server and they got electricty to run their pot operation.Wow!
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by sebhatum April 26, 2012 11:11 AM EDT
The Bloom Box appears to be an excellent product.
I do have a simple chemistry question.
The reaction Methane+ Oxygen = Water + Carbon + electricity
CH4+O2---> 2H20+C + Elelecricy. NO CO2.
Where does the Carbon go. Does it have to be cleaned up(scrabbed) periodicaly.
If pure hydronen was used there will be no Carbopn
CH4+ O2= 2H20
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by itgoesto11 April 9, 2012 12:44 PM EDT
I'm no scientist, but didn't he say the thing runs on oxygen? So it is taking oxygen and converting it to something else right? What? Now, this may be a nutty question, but I have often worried about the oxygen levels because we are cutting down forests at record rates. The Amazon which used to be considered the lungs of the planet is now actually using more oxygen than it is producing... so just for the sake of argument where is all this oxygen going to come from? Those hyper stressed out trees in the local Strip Mall parking lot?
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by jobidonson November 1, 2011 12:39 PM EDT
why can't people use a great invention of the former scientist and run a clean energy with no problem co2 will only create problems and will ruin the atmosphere

http://xtremenoplus.com/
http://iphone6apple.com/
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by brycyns September 25, 2011 3:08 PM EDT
Sure it saves money , but is by no means free energy !
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by nanoscape April 28, 2011 4:06 PM EDT
This is a fantastic product, but.. It is a bit puzzling to hear it described as an "off the grid" solution. It isn't. You are connected to & feeding off the natural gas pipeline. Second, since it consumes the equivalent of one half the energy it outputs, it is more accurately described as an "energy output enhancement" technology -- and as such it sounds a lot less exciting. It would be impressive if it could produce energy without needing any commercial feedstock which depletes resources without negative environmental / biodiversity effect. The IP is in the wafers used to generate power -- but as a solution it is still just a coool prototype. I think this is another Segway.
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by Fiodan November 17, 2010 11:53 AM EST
"Replace the grid?" c'mon, John...you should know better than that. This company will be bought out for sure, the technology dismantled and will never see the light of day again. The guys who own "the grid," what? Are they just going to go home and sulk because they have been outclassed? They are going to stop this by all means necessary.

But a great idea nonetheless--if only it could come to market, I would buy two tomorrow!
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by minniecakes September 20, 2010 8:24 PM EDT
please help us on the Big Island of Hawaii. We need the bloom boxes. We are being forced into a bio mass plant that is going to pollute Hilo and the beautiful coast terribly and cause our children to have asthma and still not provide much energy.
http://keepourislandclean.com/fact_vs_fiction

Please come here and do a story on this.
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