“Low-cost, long life, low-carbon emission” Silicon Valley’s stunning revolutionary advent of solid-oxide battery pack
Former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and Colin Powell, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, eBay CEO John, Google co-founder Larry Page, as well as Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Federal Express and other U.S. members of high-level enterprise … … A few days ago, these political and business circles of the biggest names in the United States gathered in San Jose, California, headquarters of eBay, they are not the purpose of this trip to participate in elite parties, but at the Silicon Valley emerging energy company Bloom Energy has launched a high-profile solid Oxide Fuel Cell Kit – Bloom Box.
Tight-lipped after many years, Bloom Energy CEO Silidaer this has finally announced the cost of 400 million U.S. dollars, the development of 8-year-old mystery of fuel cells. According to Silidaer introduction, Bloom Box and truly low-cost (per degree of commercial electricity only 10 cents), longevity (life of up to 10 years), and almost no carbon emission, is a “change the world” products, there are already more than 20 leading U.S. companies to buy and are using this new COMPAQ 346970-001 Laptop Battery box. Bloom Box there is a great way of attracting the United States as well as Agence France-Presse and other Western media attention, almost all of the agencies are carried out in the first of its reports, the famous CBS “60 Minutes” program is also post-Conference right Silidaer had an exclusive interview, then known as the “Box” fuel cells what magic? It really will, as Silidaer said, enough to change the world?
A major breakthrough in solid-oxide fuel cell
Bloom Box is a new solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), from the properties can be classified as third-generation fuel cell, is a direct will be stored in the fuel and oxidizer in the chemical energy into electrical energy efficiently into full – solid-state chemical plant.
Compared to the first generation phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) and the second generation of molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), solid-oxide cells with high efficiency and a wide range of adaptability of a variety of fuel gases and other excellent features. However, with the majority of new energy sources, like the traditional solid-oxide batteries are also facing problem of high costs, since such batteries in the production process will inevitably have to use platinum and other precious metals, and because demand high-temperature operation, solid-oxide batteries in a sealed and structural problems, such as the interface between the electrolyte and electrode chemical diffusion, thermal expansion coefficient, the match between the different materials and the stability of bipolar plate materials, there are a lot of technical obstacles, it simply is “could not afford” . Well-known American manufacturer of UTC Fuel Cells Solid oxide cell research for 30 years, but is still at the experimental stage, its technical difficulty can be imagined.
Bloom Box in materials science and manufacturing processes on the spared no article, it completely abandoned the use of precious metals. According to Silidaer said, Bloom Box core material is sand, zirconia, and other semiconductor materials, are not consuming more expensive copper and other metal prices, the cost would be ensured. Bloom Box also has the compatibility with the revolutionary performance, it can use almost all of the hydrocarbon fuel for power generation, such as ethanol, bio-oil, gas, or gas, or even vodka, but the whole process of producing electricity but not burn these materials, Because solid-oxide cells generate electricity through the electrochemical reaction. In the use of oil, coal-bed methane power generation and other fossil fuels, its carbon emission is only 40% of conventional thermal power plants, and if the use of non-fossil fuel power generation, it can be zero-carbon emission.
“Cheap electricity rather than cheap batteries”
Fuel cell research has been a hundred years of human history, but the earlier the basic products are concentrated in the aerospace and automotive industries, in large-scale commercial and civilian side there is little attempt, this is because the high cost of fuel cells, on the other hand Because the stability of these batteries is poor, and life is very short, Bloom Box is promising a major breakthrough in this field.
Silidaer at the press conference to launch the Bloom Box size refrigerator rather, its generating power of 100 kilowatt price of about 70 million, but 10 years of life sufficient to allow users to recover the costs. Currently over 20 companies nationwide to purchase this type of Bloom Box, Federal Express once bought five, Google has its headquarters in Mountain View, California purchased four sets, eBay, Coca-Cola and other companies have also become Bloom Box’s first customers. This bulky SONY PCGA-BP71A Laptop Battery packs from the effects of point of view is equivalent to an independent power plant, as long as raw materials, can be an independent power generation, without into the grid, there is a big advantage is to avoid power loss during transmission. In view of the higher subsidy policy in California, Bloom Box cost of electricity is only 8 to 10 cents per unit, lower than California’s current commercial electricity of 14 cents per unit, the average price of 3 to 5 years must register recoverable acquisition cost. In addition, Bloom Box no vibration at work, there is no sound, but there is no smell.
So in the United States and the world other low-or no subsidies, subsidies for the area, Bloom Box can continue to play a magic do? In fact, the conference announced Bloom Box is a series of products, Bloom Energy’s vision will not be limited to these super-rich and powerful companies. According to Silidaer said, Bloom Box product array there are many branches, from a single light bulb energy supply to fuel cells for large-scale enterprises to use the 100-kilowatt battery systems everything. As a few years ago from NASA (NASA) initiative resignation entrepreneurial scientist of Indian origin, Silidaer ultimate goal is to family power, he expects the family into the Bloom Box was born in the next few years, the price generally 3,000 U.S. dollars, Silidaer have to say that “we provide cheap electricity rather than cheap batteries.”
Geometric skill to change the world?
In the forest of high-tech companies in Silicon Valley, “Box” The launch of Bloom Energy can only be used before to describe the unknown, but now it has become an hot Silicon Valley, a big star, “Time magazine”, “National Geographic”, “Popular Science” , “Business Week”, “New York Times” and a number of mainstream media are full of praise for Bloom Box, Schwarzenegger even be defined as “the history of the United States, one of the greatest achievements,” but like all new Like technology, Bloom Box to bring the dispute is not small.
U.S. “Fortune” magazine confirmed Bloom Box of innovation is also questioned. In view of the core technology Silidaer concealment, price 700,000 U.S. dollars in the circumstances, difficult for outsiders to judge from a purely technical point of view this battery really solve the cost-effectiveness of this problem. In this regard, Silidaer explanation is that Bloom Box involve commercial secrets, and submitted a patent application, eight years as the company announced new products that do not want it to be a laboratory technique, but first of all to prove that it can be spawned an industry. Silidaer broke the news that the first internal version of Bloom Box 2006 Nian already there, according to the agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy, which they sent to the University of Tennessee, had two years of testing, after starting from July 2008 to the company send a field test products. eBay, 7 months ago installed five Bloom Box, has now met the eBay almost 15% of the electricity demand.
The United States, “Market Watch” (Market Watch) has put forward a non-technical problem: The U.S. Government is not a major supporter of fuel cell technology. In “The U.S. recovery and Reinvestment Act”, the fuel cell technology are one of the lowest proportion of aid that, although the high-tech HP F4809A Laptop Battery and electric vehicles as a whole received 24 billion in government loans, but so far only received the fuel cell 42 million U.S. dollars. Judging from the overall, Bloom Box is indeed promising, but needs to be done.
