Bloom Energy Servers installed outside eBay

From the way the media has covered Bloom Energy the last few days, you’d think the company had mastered cold fusion. Certainly they’ve mastered the art of awesome public relations, landing segments on 60 Minutes and Good Morning America, as well as appearing in articles in top newspapers and blogs.

What makes Bloom Energy special? For starters, the company has invented a solid oxide fuel cell that, according to executives, can take fuel (like natural gas or hydrogen, for example) and turn that fuel into electricity, cheaply and cleanly.  The genius part is how these fuel cells are packaged – in power generators called “Bloom Energy Servers” (commonly known as “Bloom boxes”) that take up about as much room as a parking space. According to the company, a single “Energy Server,” can provide 100 kw of power – “enough to meet the baseload needs of 100 average homes or a small office building.”

Using natural gas as the fuel source, Bloom Energy claims they can generate electricity at about 8 to 10 cents per kilowatt hour, which may cost less than the electricity you get from the grid, depending on where you live.

Adding to Bloom’s credibility is the number of customers who currently employ Bloom boxes on their office campuses – companies you may have heard of, including eBay, Google, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart and FedEx. Not exactly fly-by-night operations. At Bloom’s press event today, representatives from client companies gave impressive testimonials on the performance of Bloom’s Energy Servers.

Despite all that Bloom Energy has going for them, however, there are still questions about the practicality of their product. One is the high cost of an unsubsidized Energy Server, which is estimated to be in the range of $700,000 – $800,000. The fuel cells’ reliability is also yet to be proven. In addition, a large increase in the use of a specific fuel source, like natural gas, could spike the cost of that fuel.

Ultimately, it looks like Bloom Energy has created an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary product, and there’s not a thing wrong with that. They are doing a terrific job with marketing, and from their customer testimonials, it looks like their clients are very pleased with their purchases. While Energy Servers will not be the solution to our long-term energy woes, if they can help produce some relatively inexpensive, clean energy, that’s a good thing.

Improved Gene Therapy

While gene therapy holds a lot of promise for providing effective treatments to previously untreatable diseases, in has traditionally been very difficult to administer effectively and also carried the very real risk of serious side effects. In 2009, however, we saw advancements in administration of gene therapy that seems to avoid the risks (such as leukemia) and leading to treatments for serious genetic diseases that can lead to blindness and brain damage.

Commitment to Artificial Intelligence Research

Although we saw a clear example of AI hyperbole when IBM researchers announced they had simulated a cat’s brain, at least we had Henry Markram from the Blue Brain Project deliver the smackdown to clarify the situation. We also saw MIT refine its focus on AI with the Mind Machine Project, it’s effort to understand intelligence and build intelligent machines.

Radical Longevity (somewhat) goes Mainstream

I’ve found that, for most people outside the transhumanist “community,” the idea that humans could actually, feasibly, live for as long as they want seems preposterous. That’s why it was refreshing to see more mainstream coverage of radical longevity, culminating with Sanjay Gupta’s interview with Aubrey de Grey and Dan Buettner on CNN. We also saw some good coverage of the 2009 Longevity Summit which explored many of these concepts, as well.

Advancements in Generating Power

To sustain a high level of technological development, we’ll need to make sure we can continue to generate more electricity. It’s become clear that burning fossil fuels isn’t going to cut it as a long-term solution. One of the most exciting upcoming areas of power generation is decentralized power, which will primarily consist of advancements in solar power. Recently researchers announced “glitter-sized” photovoltaic cells that could even be embedded in fabric, enabling individuals to generate their own power. While nuclear fusion is still a ways away, new talk has been taking place about embracing thorium as a source of nuclear power rather than uranium – thorium is abundant has has a much shorter half-life when compared to uranium, making it easier to store waste. In addition, we wouldn’t have to worry about thorium reactors producing weapons grade materials like plutonium-239 or uranium-235.

Any big stories that I’ve missed here? Anywhere you think I’m wrong or way far off? (Or right on?) Feel free to leave a message in the comments.

• FuturePundit writes about tiny photovoltaic cells – described as “glitter-sized” – that could be embedded in clothing and other places where conventional photovoltaic cells won’t fit and/or aren’t practical.
• Popular Science publishes its list of the “100 Best Innovations of 2009″ although it seems to me that a lot of these are just product improvements rather than true innovations. Still, it’s a fun read.
• Like drinking alcohol but hate the resulting drunkenness and hangover? Scientists in London are working on a synthetic alcohol that will provide a “pleasant state of mild inebriation” but could be reversed with an antidote.
• Next Big Future posts comments from nanotechnology visionary and evangelist Eric Drexler on nanotech developments, including why you won’t be developing molecular nanotechnology in your basement lab and where molecular manufacturing progress is taking place.