BLOOM ENERGY

CH SUKUNDAR RAO IIIrd Btech I.T JNTU-KKD

INTRODUCTION DISTRIBUTED GENERATOR FUEL CELLS CREATION OF ELECTRICITY WORKING OF S.O.F.C ENERGY SERVER ARCHITECTURE ADVANTAGES APPLICATIONS DISADVANTAGES CONCLUSION

Introducion Bloom Energy are producing tiny fuel cell boxes they call Bloom Boxes. It is a power plant in a box and put literally in your backyard. Each box fits the size of a parking space and delivers 100kW of power. Bloom Energy is a Distributed Generation solution that is clean and reliable and affordable all at the same time.

BLOOM ENERGY

Bloom Energys Servers can produce clean energy 24hrs per day, 365 days per year, generating more electrons than intermittent solutions, and delivering faster payback and environmental benefits for the customer.

DISTRIBUTED GENERATOR
Distributed Generation (DG) refers to the power generation at the point of consumption Generating power on-site, rather than centrally, eliminate the cost, complexity, interdependencies, and inefficiencies associated with transmission and distribution. The world needs DG that is continuous and clean. Example: power generator, solar power generator.

ENERGY SERVERS
Bloom Box works with the help of Bloom Energy Server Bloom Energy Server was built with the patented solid oxide fuel technology. Blooms Energy Server is a new class of distributed power generator, producing clean, reliable, affordable electricity at the customer site. It provides 100kW of power, enough to meet the base load needs of 100 average homes or a small office building day and night, in roughly the footprint of a standard parking space.

BLOOM ENERGY SERVERS

FUEL CELLS
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts a source fuel into electrical current. It generates electricity inside a cell through reactions between a fuel and an oxidant, triggered in the presence of an electrolyte. The reactants flow into the cell, and reaction products flow out of it, while the electrolyte remains within it.

FUEL CELLS

DESIGN:
They are made of three segments which are sandwiched together: *ANODE
*ELECTROLYTE *CATHODE

Two chemical reactions occur at the interfaces of the different segments. The net result of the two reactions is that fuel is consumed, water or carbon-dioxide is created, and the freed electrons travel through a wire creating the electrical current which can be used to power electrical devices.

REACTIONS:
Anode reaction:
CH3OH + H2O - CO2 + 6H+ + 6eCathode reaction: 3/2 O2 + 6H+ + 6e- 3H2O Overall reaction: CH3OH + 3/2 O2 CO2 + 2H2O +electrical energy.

Bloom energy fuel cells

SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELLS

SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell) is a high temperature fuel
cell is extremely advantageous because of a possibility of using a variety of fuel. SOFCs can run on hydrogen, butane, methanol and other petroleum products. An SOFC is also capable of using natural gas, bio gas as its fuel.

Working of S.O.F.C
Solid oxide fuel cells use a hard, non-porous ceramic compound as the electrolyte. SOFCs are expected to be around 50%60% efficient at converting fuel to electricity. Solid oxide fuel cells operate at very high temperatures around 1000C. High-temperature operation removes the need for precious-metal catalyst, thereby reducing cost. SOFCs are also the most sulfur-resistant fuel cell type and they are also not poisoned by carbon monoxide .

DISADVANTAGES

High-temperature operation results in a slow startup and requires significant thermal shielding to retain heat and protect personnel, which may be acceptable for utility applications but not for transportation and small portable applications. Scientists are currently exploring the potential for developing lower-temperature SOFCs operating at or below 800C that have fewer durability problems and cost less.

ENERGY SERVER ARCHITECTURE

At the heart of every Energy Server is Blooms patented solid oxide fuel cell technology. Each Energy Server consists of thousands of Blooms fuel cells. Each cell is a flat solid ceramic square made from a common beach sand. Each Bloom Energy fuel is capable of producing about 25W enough to power a light bulb. For more power, the cells are sandwitched along with interconnect plates into a fuel cell stack. A few stacks, together about the size of load of bread is enough to power an average home.

In an Energy Server ,multiple stacks are aggregated together into power module, and then multiple power modules, along with a common fuel input and electrical output are assembled as a complete system

BLOOM ENERGY SERVES BETTER ELECTRONS

All electrons are not created equal. Only Bloom Energy delivers electrons that are clean and reliable and affordable.. all at the same time and just for you. That makes them better electrons. Lower your energy costs and eliminate volatility Save the environment and save money Improve your energy security and reliability Start small and pay as you grow Get access to power quickly

 MORE BENEFITS AND APPLICATIONS

Bloom Energy's versatile fuel cell technology is essentially a flexible energy platform, providing multiple benefits simultaneously for a wide range of applications. In addition to clean, reliable, affordable electricity, Bloom customers can realize a multitude of other advantages. Businesses often purchase generators and other expensive backup applications that sit idle 99% of the time, while they purchase their electricity from the grid as their primary source.

*Bloom systems natively produce DC power, which provides an elegant solution to efficiently power DC data centers and/or be the plug-and-play provider for DC charging stations for electric vehicles.
Carbon Sequestration: The electrochemical reaction occurring within Bloom Energy systems generates electricity, heat, some H2O, and pure CO2. Traditionally, the most costly aspect of carbon sequestration is separating the CO2 from the other effluents. The pure CO2 emission allows for easy and cost-effective carbon sequestration from the Bloom systems.

DISADVANTAGES:
The lifespan of the Energy Server is unclear so far. Ease of swapping the fuel cells. Time it would take to miniaturize. The speed with which Bloom Energy can scale up production and smoothen implementation.

CONCLUSION
It is challenging to criticize a product that clearly
brings several large technological breakthroughs to the market. However the current economics without subsidies are atrocious at rates 2-3x current renewable and we can see Bloom uses optimistic assumptions in their numbers. On the positive side, there is room and real hope for improvement and their current clients appear happy with the product from a financial perspective.