>From Terry: > http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/411/ > > "I think Bloom Energy is looking to install 100 Kilowatt power units > in everyone's houses. These will be flex-fuel, but likely running > mostly on natural gas. They will also probably produce heat, and > cooling, as well as power, making the devices roughly 85% efficient > (thus generating two times less greenhouse gas emissions than a power > plant per unit of power used.) " > > Not very geeky considering that the mean electric power consumption > for an average house is 1 kW. A 10 kW unit should be adequate.
Indeed, I was also under the impression that you only need to produce 50 kw units to power most cars. American households OTOH typically need far less than 100 kw. I was told: Possibly up to 20 - 25 kw for peak performance. If this company actually does start selling 100 kw units in-mass for American household there is obviously the potential to generate a lot of excess electricity that could be fed back into the grid, a kind of collective insurance energy program that benefits the local neighborhood. As Mike Carrell once commented, it would become crucial that any excess electricity destined to be fed back into the grid be synchronized in order to avoid explosive power transmission disasters.I envision a lot of "regulation" will soon be in store for anyone who wishes to generate their own electricity. Soon in the works will be new rules and regulations that everyone must adhere to in order to practice "safe grid" procedures. It's my understanding that at present these 100 kw units cost hundreds of thousands of dollars using current manufacturing techniques.Obviously they plan on reducing current costs significantly within 5 - 10 years. They have even speculated on the possibility of being able to sell 100 kw units for a mere $3000. That's a tall order considering their current price tag. Nevertheless, necessity is the mother of invention, so I gather it's not entirely impossible. IMO, what might be a more lucrative approach would be to manufacture smaller Bloom boxes, boxes a quarter of the current size, where they only generate 25 kw at peak performance. In theory that could mean individual unit costs might be be reduced to around $1000. Very attractive! Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
