Bloom Box - Solid Energy Technology

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(CBS) In the world of energy, the Holy Grail is a power source that's inexpensive and clean, with no emissions. Well over 100 start-ups in Silicon Valley are working on it, and one of them, Bloom Energy, is about to make public its invention: a little power plant-in-a-box they want to put literally in your backyard.

You'll generate your own electricity with the box and it'll be wireless. The idea is to one day replace the big power plants and transmission line grid, the way the laptop moved in on the desktop and cell phones supplanted landlines.

It has a lot of smart people believing and buzzing, even though the company has been unusually secretive - until now.

Full Segment: The Bloom Box
Web Extra: The Magic Box
Web Extra: Plug-In Power Plant
Web Extra: Naming The Bloom Box
Web Extra: A Skeptic's View

K.R. Sridhar invited "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl for a first look at the innards of the Bloom box that he has been toiling on for nearly a decade.

Looking at one of the boxes, Sridhar told Stahl it could power an average U.S. home.

"The way we make it is in two blocks. This is a European home. The two put together is a U.S. home," he explained.

"'Cause we use twice as much energy, is that what you're saying?" Stahl asked.

"Yeah, and this'll power four Asian homes," he replied.

"So four homes in India, your native country?" Stahl asked.

"Four to six homes in our country," Sridhar replied.

"It sounds awfully dazzling," Stahl remarked.

"It is real. It works," he replied.

He says he knows it works because he originally invented a similar device for NASA. He really is a rocket scientist.

"This invention, working on Mars, would have allowed the NASA administrator to pick up a phone and say, 'Mr. President, we know how to produce oxygen on Mars,'" Sridhar told Stahl.

"So this was going to produce oxygen so people could actually live on Mars?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Sridhar replied.

When NASA scrapped that Mars mission, Sridhar had an idea: he reversed his Mars machine. Instead of it making oxygen, he pumped oxygen in.

He invented a new kind of fuel cell, which is like a very skinny battery that always runs. Sridhar feeds oxygen to it on one side, and fuel on the other. The two combine within the cell to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity. There's no need for burning or combustion, and no need for power lines from an outside source.

In October 2001 he managed to get a meeting with John Doerr from the big Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins.

"How much do you think, 'I need to come up with the next big thing'?" Stahl asked Doerr.

"Oh, that's my job," he replied. "To find entrepreneurs who are going to change the world and then help them."

Doerr has certainly changed our world: he's the one who discovered and funded Netscape, Amazon and Google. When he listened to Sridhar, the idea seemed just as transformative: efficient, inexpensive, clean energy out of a box.

"But Google: $25 million. This man said, 'How much money?'" Stahl asked.

"At the time he said over a hundred million dollars," Doerr replied.

But according to Doerr that was okay.

"So nothing he said scared you?" Stahl asked.

"Oh, I wasn't at all sure it could be done," he replied.

Choosing Insulation

Whether it's pink, white, yellow, or blue, all insulation is at least a little bit "green." After all, anything that saves so much energy gets high marks for environmental friendliness. But increasingly, the materials we put inside our walls and ceilings are turning a deeper shade of green, with old standbys like fiberglass and foam cleaning up their acts and natural and recycled alternatives now widely available.

To be sure, in an industry whose products have been both praised and litigated, the earth-friendliness of house insulation depends to some degree on whether you're assessing what it's made of or simply how it performs. Consider this very green bottom line from a segment of the industry, fiberglass, that has taken its share of criticism: "For every Btu of energy it takes to make this insulation, 12 Btu are saved every year," says Tom Newton, manager of advertising and promotion for manufacturer CertainTeed.

Given that other insulation products deliver similar benefits, greenness is to some extent in the eye of the beholder. For instance, some contain a high percentage of recycled material; others come in new formulations that remove or replace ingredients known to be environmentally harmful. Then there are natural products, like cotton, that get major green points because they pose no risk to people with allergies or chemical sensitivities. So while there's no set ranking system for what makes an insulation green, the good news is, wherever you want to touch down on the spectrum, there's likely to be a product that meets your needs and budget. And that should make you feel warm all over.

Insulation Overview

The chief measure of insulation performance is R-value, which is derived from standardized tests that determine how well the material resists heat flow. The higher the resistance, the higher the R-value. Current standards in most parts of the U.S. call for at least R-13 exterior walls and R-38 ceilings (the latter being higher because of heat's tendency to rise).

As a rule, the better a material performs, the more it costs, though some products are expensive simply because they occupy a tiny sliver of the market and can't offer the economies that come with high-volume production. Following is a quick snapshot of the ingredients, performance, and cost of products in insulation's two main camps, fiber and foam.


FIBER

Cellulose
Made from shredded, fluffed-up newsprint containing 85 percent recycled material and 15 percent borate-based fire retardant (borates are environmentally safe mineral compounds that also stop mold and pests). Blown in dry or sprayed on wet—damp, really—it has a higher R-value than fiberglass and costs about the same.

Cotton
Ever wonder what happens to old denim? Some of it gets turned into thick batts and is used to insulate walls and floors. Treated with the same borate fire retardant used in cellulose, shredded cotton is a popular low-chemical choice.

Fiberglass
Some might wonder how this material merits mention alongside obviously greener goods, but manufacturers have given spun glass a higher recycled content (up to 40 percent) and have taken steps to reduce the acknowledged problem of airborne fibers. Some makers have started slipping their product inside a bag—a very effective treatment until it has to be cut to fit an odd-size cavity. Comes in batts or is chopped and blown into floor and wall cavities.

Mineral wool
Made from recycled slag and mined basalt rock, mineral wool is naturally resistant to fire and pests and is highly sound absorbent. While it has been associated with the same potential airborne-fiber risk as fiberglass, one mineral wool product, a rigid-board foundation insulation, poses no such problem while providing a waterproof barrier.

Sheep's wool
Sheared from living creatures in the usual way, the cleaned fiber is formed into batts and lofty loose fill, then treated for moth- and mildew-proofing. Like cotton, wool tends to primarily be a health-related choice.


FOAM
Cementitious
Made from magnesium oxide cement mixed with water, frothed with air, and pumped into cavities, it's efficient, naturally fireproof, and resists mold and pests.

Polyicynene and polyurethane
Both of these foams are made with an oil-derived chemical, polyisocyanate, but does that necessarily erase any green tint? Maybe not, considering the energy these products save and the fact that their blowing agents—water for polyicynene, a non-ozone-depleting chemical for polyurethane—are environmentally benign. Different formulations produce two types, open-cell and closed-cell, the latter delivering a higher R-value and price.

Agricultural-based
In some formulations of polyurethane, petroleum-based ingredients are partially replaced with those from agricultural resources like soybean oil, sugar cane, and corn. Environmental benefits aside, oil's recent price trajectory makes these products even more appealing. Available as sprayed foam and, in the case of soy-based, a rigid board.

Where to Find It:

Cellulose:

Applegate Insulation
Webberville, MI
888-302-7753
applegateinsulation.com

Igloo Cellulose Inc.
Quebec
514-694-1485
cellulose.com

Cotton:

Environmental Construction Outfitters
Bronx, NY
800-238-5008
environproducts.com

Fiberglass:

CertainTeed
800-782-8777
certainteed.com

Mineral wool:

Roxul Inc.
Grand Forks, B.C.
905-878-8474
1-800-265-6878
roxul.com

Wool:

Good Shepherd Wool Insulation
Rocky Mountain House, Alb.
403-845-6705
goodshepherdwool.com

Cementitious:

Air-Krete
315-834-6609
airkrete.com

Polyicynene:

American Energy Savers
New Haven, CT
800-242-6157
aesinct.com

Polyurethane:

Foam-Tech
North Thetford, VT
802-333-4333
foam-tech.com

Soy-based:

BioBased Systems
Rogers, AR
800-803-5189
biobased.net

Transition Initiative

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Think Global, Act Local is prefect for these folks.

Their January Newsletter

We greet a new decade with a clearer knowledge of limits, a richer sense of community, and a deeper understanding of what it means to chart a personal journey towards resiliency and a reduced carbon footprint. While we are cautioned by Sharon Astyk to practice losing, we can be truly heartened by all those stepping up to adventure with us and the impressive new tools they bring. Sustainable NE Seattle has developed a discussion guide for groups studying the Transition Handbook. Transition Santa Cruz has thoughtful tip sheet on going door-to-door and engaging your neighbors and Ben Zolno has a new video on Why Transition.

Around the world communities are rising to the challenge. Transition Network co-founders Peter Lipman and Ben Brangwyn in conversation with Vicki Robin will discuss what is happening in the Transition Movement in the UK and in other countries around the world. Add your questions when you register for this free event scheduled for Wednesday, January 27th at 10 am PST.

On the news front, Transition Initiatives have been seen in: Yes Magazine, Huffington Post, and other local papers like the Pasa Robles Press.

Continue to send us stories of your journey in unleashing the brilliance, compassion and resourcefulness within your communities. Let us know how we can help you.

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Soil Test Page

I found this page while doing a quick bit of research for farming forum I signed into.

It's a great page!

And even if you don't actually test your soils, taking a sample, mixing it with water and determining the amount of the different materials in it is a great thing to do. It's very effective.
Please be sure to take the sample from where the roots of all your plants grow - at least 6" down.