The Bloom Box... still a hot option?



Many people have seen the Bloom Box in newspapers and TV spots like 60 Minutes. FedEx, WalMart, Staples, EBay and Google are using Bloom Boxes. Some of these companies are coming up on their one year anniversaries with Bloom Energy. Where does the Bloom Box stand now?

Just a few weeks after entering the limelight, the press energy surrounding the fuel cells has died down. Most articles now are concerned with potential problems. A key issue is Blooms vs. government investment. Smart Grid was going to be the next big thing and government money went with it. The Bloom Boxes are off the grid, which is one of their key advantages, but unless the electric providers and the government find a way to receive profits out of this innovation, it may be a disadvantage in the end.

In commentary for the National Post (Canada) Lawrence Solomon said, "If governments don't vacate the energy business, the Bloom Box may have no customers in the future... because its fate will rest less on its innovative properties than on what lobbyists can deliver."

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