The Bloom Box

Already powering major Silicon Valley companies, Bloom Box fuel cell designer hopes to soon see it power your house

Silicon Valley doesn’t just produce innovative web companies — it’s also a mecca for the green tech boom. Bloom Energy has built a refrigerator-sized box that can power your whole house.

Bloom Box Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Bloom Energy plans to give the world independence from power grids and gas stations. It builds what are called solid-oxide fuel cells, in which water, oxygen, and a hydrogen source such as natural gas are pulled through the cell to cleanly generate electricity.

One of the byproducts of the process is hydrogen, which in turn can be used in a different type of fuel cell: the hydrogen-powered version imagined for propelling cars of the future. If Bloom’s technology fulfills its potential, homes and businesses could one day generate their own electricity and fuel their own vehicles.

The company’s first customer was Google, which has been powering a datacenter on 4 Bloom Boxes for 18 months. Google’s boxes run on natural gas. eBay and Federal Express are also customers. eBay has 5 Bloom Boxes in San Jose, and says it has saved $100,000 in energy costs over the past 9 months.

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