There are press releases, technical highlights and datasheets on Bloom Energy site
Reader MVetsel provides calculations based on the datasheet and technical sheet –
Okay, so all of the critical information can now be gleaned from the data sheet. The efficiency is 52% excluding any heat produced and based on my generous assumptions (below), this would produce electricity at roughly $0.13/kwh if the excess heat is not recaptured.
193.7 kW h (kilowatt hours) [input to produce 100 kWh of output]
MMBtu/100kwh 0.661
Efficiency 51.63%
Nymex $/MMBtu $5.29
$/kwh $0.0350
Cost $800,000
lifecycle 15
Interest 5%
Yr cap cost $77,074
Uptime 95%
Up hours/yr: 8,322
kwh/yr 832,200
Cap. Cost/kwh $0.093
Total cost/kwh $0.128
It appears that the goal in 5-10 years of $3000 for a 1 KW home unit would be three-eighths of the current cost. This would be 4.8 cents per kwh.
There are several other companies with very similar technology and costs. Bloom Energy has to outcompete those companies and get lower prices and higher production volume and develop new capabilities like being able reverse the fuel cell process and generate methane (as mentioned in a patent). So far Bloom Energy is just another fuel cell startup, although better funded than most.
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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