Recent bloom energy Invention - fuel cell with steam as emission, will it be a a boom or a doom?

Fuel cell may be an interesting topic, particularly, using with nano principle. Certainly, much appreciated by eco-specialist. But, will it be available within the reach to ordinary individuals ? Is it cheaper than solar & wind energy? Only specialist engineer can give out the cost control. But, like ordinary cell we buy, if it is made available then, why not to buy & use it Because its compact, eco-friendly & yield adequate energy. Of course, based on the size of the fuel cell, the quantity may be increased to the requirement.

Each Bloom Energy Server provides 100 kilowatts, generating power around the clock, which its developers say give it a big advantage over other "green" electricity sources such as solar and wind. The system is compact enough to fit in a parking space and generates enough power to meet the needs of 100 average U.S. homes or a small office building, the company said.

Bloom Energy claims that the box, even when running on a fossil fuel such as natural gas, is 67% cleaner than a typical coal-fired power plant. When using a renewable fuel, they can be 100% cleaner.One wafer can power one light bulb. A Starbucks coffee shop, for instance, can run on a stack of 64 wafers.Customers, Bloom said, can expect a three- to five-year payback on their investment from the energy-cost savings.Depending on whether they use a fossil or renewable fuel, they can also achieve a 40-100% reduction in their carbon footprint as compared with the U.S. power grid.

A flat, square ceramic wafer, made from kiln-fired beach sand, is at the heart of the fuel cell. Stacked together, these wafers use a proprietary coating to trigger the chemical reaction needed to generate energy. It's the low cost of the coating that sets Bloom Energy fuel cells apart from others, which typically use expensive precious metals such as platinum. For residences, Bloom aims to eventually bring the cost down to $3,000 per fuel cell. Its corporate-sized boxes cost at least $700,000. EBay runs 15% of its San Jose facility using five Bloom boxes, cutting its power bill by about $100,000.