If all of us start creating electricity in our backyards, there’ll be no need of big power plants and transmission line grids in near future. K.R. Sridhar from Bloom Energy has moved past the theoretical assumptions, and has created a little power-plant-in-a-box, which he calls the Bloom Box. A scrawny battery uses oxygen and fuel to bring about a chemical reaction that produces electricity. No burning or combustion needed, it is a fully self-powered contraption.
A single disk can power a light bulb, and the output increases with the number of disks in the stack. Sridhar says that 64 stacks stacked together are just enough to power a Starbucks. A metal plate made with a cheap metal alloy separates the disks. Bloom Box’s clients include Google and eBay. While the former has been powering its datacenter for 18 months with the technology, the latter is utilizing it for nine months. Where Google uses natural gas as the secondary fuel, eBay makes these boxes run on biogas made from landfill waste. After upgrading, the unit should cost less than $3,000.
Via: CBS News