What: Bloom Box, developed by Bloom Energy based in California's Silicon Valley, is a device that generates power through a combination of oxygen and natural gas containing hydrogen. Powered by fuel cells, Bloom Box technology is being tested by Google, Walmart, FedEx, eBay and Staples, each of which have provided generous funds for its development. The technology - which was developed by K.R. Sridhar and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - originally arose out of a need to produce oxygen for astronauts and hydrogen for machinery to land on Mars. The mission was canceled, however, leading Sridhar to investigate other uses of the technology.
Who: Today, more than 1.5 billion people live without electricity.
The Future: The United Nations seeks to reduce the number of people living without electricity by at least half by the year 2015. Sridhar's Bloom Box may make this goal attainable. Moreover, Sridhar hopes that smaller versions of the Bloom Box one day could be in all homes to provide environmentally safe energy. Bloom Box technology may also prove useful to power hydrogen-powered cars.
-compiled by Jade Hall
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