What’s up with Bloom Boxes?

Nope, it’s not a flowerpot shaped like a 1990s stereo. A Bloom Box, a.k.a. the Holy Grail of clean energy, is a personal power plant about the size of a refrigerator.

The creator is Bloom Energy, a California company. They want to have a Bloom Box in every home by 2020. Basically, the personal power plant is made up of narrow batteries called fuel cells that use oxygen and fuel to generate electricity – with no emissions.

The CEO of Bloom Energy, KR Sridhar, actually invented the product.

The Bloom Box draws oxygen into one side of the unit and then draws some sort of fuel, natural gas, biofuel or even solar energy, into the other side. The two combine to make clean electricity, no combustion or power lines required.

Bloom Energy is already powering some major corporations – WalMart, Coca-Cola, Ebay, Staples, FedEx and Google.

The challenge for Bloom Energy will be making these revolutionary boxes affordable for the average family – Sridhar said on 60 Minutes that he wants a residential-sized bloom box to cost less than $3,000. I don't see the average American family rushing out to buy one anytime soon.

The head of GreenTech Media, Michael Kanellos, is the leading Bloom Box skeptic. He says success would depend on whether someone could power their home with a Bloom Box for less green than solar or wind energy. He’s also convinced that a bigger company like General Electric will just produce their own version or buy out Bloom Energy.

Of course there’s a catch.

The most interesting thing I’ve read about Bloom Boxes is that they still produce carbon dioxide. If you use natural gas, methane or even biofuel to power the box, you’re still not in the clear for greenhouse gases. Still cleaner than a traditional power plant, but not pristine. Check out this article for more details.