To great fanfare this week, Silicon Valley darling Bloom Energy unveiled its highly anticipated next-generation fuel cell technology. Luminaries from Colin Powell to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (don't forget Google's Larry Page!) were on hand at eBay's campus to heap praise on Bloom's product, which claims to transform how energy is produced. It was an impressive show.
The vision
“Bloom Energy is dedicated to making clean, reliable energy affordable for everyone in the world,” said KR Sridhar, founder and CEO of Bloom Energy. “We believe that we can have the same kind of impact on energy that the mobile phone had on communications."
No modest pronouncement. But if Bloom's solid-oxide fuel cell can deliver on the promises made this week, it's hard to disagree with Sridhar's bold prediction.
Bloom's vision sees its fuel cell units (affectionately known as Bloom Boxes) distributed across the globe, from corporate campuses to African villages. The fuel cell apparently can utilize a range of inputs, from biofuel to conventional fuels, and Sridhar says it can distribute energy with lower emissions and lower costs. To good to be true? Perhaps. Only time will tell. The product launch avoided the all-important patented details of just how energy can be provided more cheaply and more cleanly than current methods.
Why it matters
During this explosion of clean tech innovation in California, such bold pronouncements are as common as sunny days. So amidst claims of new green technology breakthroughs, what's different about the Bloom announcement? And how's it relevant to EDF's policy efforts in California? Three thoughts:
1) Cheaper AND cleaner? If Bloom delivers on its promises, and it’s a big if, the technology hits a 'sweet spot' that could save the planet. The Bloom Boxes appeal to business leaders and companies that are going green under the triple bottom line model for people, planet and profits. In other words, the breakthrough technology proposes to generate energy with less greenhouse gas pollution and at the same time reduce costs. This achievement may be the holy grail of the climate action movement. Almost every new promising green energy technology to date, from exciting new forms of solar to new cellulosic biofuels processes, can clearly demonstrate lower emissions but cannot yet compete with conventional fuels without a price signal on carbon pollution.
2) Corporate Partnerships Bloom reached out to mainstream corporations—among the biggest in the world—to test the fuel cells before announcing the technology. Coca-Cola, FedEx, Wal-Mart, and Google have had the Bloom fuel cells powering their facilities for at least several months. High-level executives from these companies served on a panel at the product launch moderated by John Doerr to testify to the fact that the Bloom Boxes saved companies energy and money. I can't imagine these companies are in the business of going out on a limb with their own corporate brand and credibility to validate new technologies. Translation: the technology appears to work and for companies that are interested in solutions to save money and the planet!
3) Bipartisan Support A wide array of political leaders jumped in to applaud Bloom’s efforts. From Governor Schwarzenegger to Senator Feinstein, from Assemblyman Jim Beall (D-San Jose) to Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee (R- San Luis Obispo), elected officials of both parties participated to promote the clean technology revolution in California. And why not? It's a political win-win: grow jobs, protect the environment, and save consumers money. Amidst a polarized environment in Sacramento, promoting the expansion of the clean energy economy, which grows jobs and helps improve our air quality and quality of life, is a political agenda both parties embrace.
California is a place where companies like Bloom can take off
Bloom's founder Sridhar is an immigrant from India and was an academic researcher who advanced the fuel cell technology working for NASA on Mars colonization. Once he decided to commercialize this new technology, Sridhar and his team could have located their R&D and production facility anywhere in the U.S. (or the world for that matter). But, they chose California's Silicon Valley.
This choice is testament to the unequivocal position of California as a fertile bed of innovation. A place where transformative ideas take flight. It also means that policy makers and organizations such as EDF bear a big responsibility to advance policies that keep California the epicenter of the clean energy economy and help it lead the green revolution. It's a responsibility that we take seriously. With so much at stake—and to gain—we are confident that the return on these investments will pay off handsomely and the economic and environmental rewards will be shared throughout California.