Big Questions Remain Over 'Bloom Box' Servers

Bloom Energy's plans to put a zero-emission energy server into mass production is an "exciting development," writes David Coursey, but the company has loads of work to do before the so-called Bloom Box becomes the game-changer the hype suggests. The company is promising miniature $3,000 servers will be on the market in 10 years to power homes, but that's a long way from the big $800,000 device it's currently pitching to companies.

The company didn't offer many details on how it will get there, notes AP, and plenty of other companies are at work on the same concept. One fuel cell expert tells National Geographic he's "pretty pissed" at the lack of explanation and dismissed it as "all hype." Coursey is more hopeful at PCWorld. "Who can really say? If I were guessing, I'd imagine Bloom servers might appear to power whole neighborhoods and be operated by traditional power companies before the home server appears. It all depends on how the technology and market place develops over time."
(More Bloom Box stories.)