Bloom Energy

              The main contributor to our energy crisis today is our homes. We receive energy from a “grid” which is connected to a power plant. Even if we don’t need energy, the plant will just keep running, wasting a lot of energy. And by the time that energy travels from the plant to our homes, a lot of it is lost. So the only way to compensate for this lost energy is to find a way to get energy away from the “grid” and closer to our homes. Bloom energy is the plausible energy source for the future because it has no emissions and energy is not lost when it reaches our homes.

            The basis of bloom energy is a small fuel cell, about the thickness of a piece of paper. They are squares made of silicon that use oxygen and natural gas to create energy with no emissions. Each fuel cell supplies about 25W of energy, enough to power a small light bulb. The fuel cells are then stacked into brick-sized towers connected by metal alloy plates. 64 “bricks” of fuel cells would be enough to power a small restaurant or supermarket. Large corporations like Google, FedEx and EBay are already using this technology to supply their energy.

            The advantages of Bloom Energy are endless. First, transportation is not a big issue like it is in the grid. The energy will be released from the fuel cells whenever it is needed, so that it can’t be wasted. There are also smaller chances for power outages to occur across an entire area because Bloom Energy is completely individual. Finally, Bloom Energy is harmless to the environment. Unlike modern day coal plants, the fuel cells do not emit any dangerous chemicals to the atmosphere. Bloom Energy is both clean and efficient and is definitely a possible energy source for our homes and businesses across the world. 

Solar Energy Not Great for All

A recent Time News article titled “Grid Politics” argues that the United States is in the middle of a solar revolution. It points out that solar installations in the US have increased “more than 1000% during President Barack Obama’s first term” and have “contributed nearly half the new power capacity added to the grid in the first quarter of this year.” The reason for this sudden proliferation has been the drastic decrease in the cost of solar panels, almost 80% since 2009, according to the article. Cost of Solar, an online resource for homeowners, predicts that the cost of installing solar panels will only continue to fall in future years as the efficiency of solar panels increases and the size of solar cells decreases. As this movement continues to grow in the foreseeable future, the US will be able to successfully reduce its dependence on deleterious fossil fuels.

But not everybody is happy with this sudden solar energy movement. Public utilities, who provide electricity to customers, are the ones feeling the pernicious effects of the movement. As utilities begin to lose more customers to solar energy, they are losing a significant amount of revenue. On top of that, customers are able to sell their surplus solar energy back to utilities, further decreasing the utilities’ profits. A recent New York Times article titled “On Rooftops, a Rival for Utilities” reports that the state of California, which has seen an unprecedented 160% rise in solar panel installations since 2010, estimates that they will lose almost $1.4 billion dollars this year. If that cost was distributed evenly among the citizens of California, each citizen would have to pay an extra $185 a year for their electricity.

It’s reasonable to surmise that in future years, citizens will see installing their own solar panels as a more economical option than obtaining electricity from utilities. And unless public utilities find new ways to do business, they may end up defunct.