Chattanooga now has its own 100 KW Bloom Energy Server to power up a section of the EPB Building downtown, officials announced at a press conference on Monday morning.
Congressman Zach Wamp and Bloom Energy principal co-founder and CEO Dr. K.R. Sridhar were on hand to unveil the technology, which they said can produce clean, reliable, affordable power practically anywhere, allowing clean energy to be created onsite.
“The Tennessee Valley has been involved with this technology for a long time, and we’re now at the point of demonstrating its viability as a complement to the grid,” Congressman Wamp said. “The ultimate goal would be to manufacture fuel cells in Tennessee and further advance the new manufacturing boon in the Tennessee Valley Corridor.”
Congressman Wamp said he first learned about solid oxide fuel cell technology seven years ago from Dr. Sridhar. That meeting led to a partnership of UTC, the National Center for Computational Engineering (SimCenter), EPB, TVA and The Enterprise Center with Bloom Energy, which brought about the testing and demonstration of the new fuel cell in Chattanooga.
The UTC SimCenter first hosted a 5 kilowatt (kW) stationary solid oxide fuel cell demonstration, which can produce enough electricity to heat or cool a 5,000-square-foot house in 2006. That successful field trial was a key milestone on Bloom’s path to commercialization, officials said. The SimCenter has continued testing the viability of additional fuel cells.
The Bloom Box, housed on the top floor of the EPB parking garage, will provide power for 30,000 square feet of the EPB building.
It is currently operating off of a natural gas supply. Rep. Wamp said if it can be converted to be powered by Tennesseee-grown switch grass "it will take it to negative carbon."
He said the Bloom Box, which was introduced with fanfare in California in February, has zero emissions. He said it can help curb the nation's reliance on other fuel sources that have led to "catastrophes."
He stated, "By generating power on-site where it is consumed, Bloom Energy Servers offer increased electrical reliability and improved energy security, providing a clear path to a future of energy independence. The solid oxide fuel cell produces clean energy from a wide range of renewable or traditional fuel sources, including natural gas, wind, solar and biomass.
“Bloom’s technology could have a tremendous impact for the world in creating new energy sources and is cleaner and more efficient than much of today’s power generation. Fuel cell technology coupled with increased nuclear energy could significantly shrink our country’s carbon footprint.”
Bloom Energy founder Sridhar earlier estimated that a Bloom Box for the residential market could be out in 5 to 10 years for under $3,000.
He told the Chattanooga audience that the Bloom Box on top of the EPB Building is the first of its kind outside of California.
Dr. Sridhar said, "UTC and the Tennessee Valley have been exceptional partners from the beginning and the valuable insights gained here have helped shape our product into the commercially viable entity it is today. We are thrilled to be here to celebrate the continuation of Bloom Energy's collaboration with Tennessee's Congressional leadership, TVA, EPB and the University."
Several officials, including Dr. Harry McDonald of the SIM Center and Jim Hall, chairman of the Enterprise Center, said it is hoped to convince the Bloom firm to manufacturing the product in Chattanooga.
Dr. McDonald said, "Energy independence and preserving the environment are critical national priorities. An efficient economical fuel cell with low or negligible carbon emission that can operate on a wide range of locally available fuels - such as natural gas and other biofuels - and then provide distributed electrical power without major transmission loss is one element in the solution to this critical issue. This type of research is exactly why the SimCenter must continue to grow and widen its interests to provide Chattanooga, the state and the nation with well-educated engineers to solve challenging important problems."