Where to Find a Bloombox

From 3arf

A Bloombox can be acquired through Bloom energy, a green energy company located in Sunnyvale, California. Bloombox has in its plans what it calls a 'lock in pricing' where gas companies would provide long term contracts to clients for Bloombox derived energy. Bloomboxes can also be bought directly from Bloom Energy using 1 of 2 options, lease or purchase. Current models have only been sold to large-capitalized corporations such as Fed Ex, Coca Cola, and Google.The current design being advertised by Bloom Energy is the ES-5000 Energy Server. This is a 10 ton energy unit that takes a fuel, namely gas, and creates more energy from it than the fuel itself would produce on its own. The price tag for this energy server is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars according to a Feburary 18th, 2010 60 Minutes feature on the Bloombox. Bloom Energy estimates the Bloombox to pay itself off in 3-6 years.The Bloombox is delivered and installed on site and produces enough energy to power a small office building. The Bloombox produces approximately 100Kw and actual cost and savings per Kw hour depends on a number of factors including gas price fluctuations, power company service fees and surcharges, tax incentives claimed, and the type of fuel used to power the Bloombox. Individual residential Bloomboxes are not currently available however Bloom Energy hopes to have smaller Bloomboxes on the market that cost in the vicinity of $3000 in the future.Bloomboxes are a new product on the market and the company has been researching and testing its product for several years. Wide scale distribution and timely availability of Bloomboxes depends on a number of factors including 1) engineering and design of the Bloombox and future models 2) cost reduction through economies of scale, 3) sufficient capitalization and investment and 4) demand for Bloomboxes.Cost benefits of the Bloombox:•  Energy Investment Tax CreditA 30% tax credit can be claimed for qualified purchases of Bloomboxes via the Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC) through January 1, 2017 according to the U.S. Department of Energy. This credit does not include savings from any possible state credits and service charges outside of the cost of energy itself.  The IRS form 3468 can be used to claim this credit which is legislated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.• California Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP)Through December 31, 2011 Bloomboxes may qualify for the California Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) according to theCalifornia Energy Commission. The SGIP program provides an incentive of $2.50-$4.50 depending on if the fuel cell is renewable or non-renewable. If the Bloombox is able to run on non-renewable energy, the incentive and energy cost savings rise. Other state incentives can be found using the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSRE).• Not subject to standard energy price fluctuationsIf the bloombox is run on a renewable energy source a rise in gas prices will improve the cost effectiveness of the bloombox in proportion to the cost of gas power. In this sense, the bloombox is an energy cost hedge that protects against energy inflation that can eat away at business profits.• Selling of surplus energyEnergy not used by the Bloombox can be resold to energy providers for additional cost incentive.  Google, one of Bloom Energy's clients is currently able to do this as per aFebruary 18, 2010 authorizationfrom the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Through net metering and possible future legislative changes, home based Bloomboxes may provide a similar incentive. For more information on existing legislation the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act provides statutory guidelines.Sources: (1) http://bloomenergy.com (Bloom Energy)(2) http://www.irs.gov/ (U.S. Internal Revenue Service)(3) http://www.dsireusa.org/ (DSIRE: Database for State Energy Incentives)

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