Maybe get the price down with some help from our government, and I wonder how closely management will be watching the success of Blooms new policy spurring sales.
Friday LA times..
"Bloom Energy unveils plan to make fuel-cell technology more affordable"
The company will let customers purchase the power from its Bloom Box energy servers instead of buying the units, which can cost as much as $800,000 each.
Looking to boost the use of its clean electricity technology, Bay Area firm Bloom Energy is offering businesses an economical way to power their buildings with its fuel cells.
The company's so-called Bloom Box energy servers can cost as much as $800,000 each ? an investment too rich for many businesses.
Under a new program announced Thursday, customers can skip the hefty upfront cost of buying the units and instead just purchase the power under a 10-year contract with Bloom. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company will own and maintain the fuel cells.
Big electricity users, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and Staples Inc., have already purchased some of Bloom's refrigerator-sized fuel cells. Those three companies said Thursday that they would deploy more of the units under the leasing plan.
In addition, Caltech said it had signed a power purchase agreement with Bloom and planned to install 20 boxes. Kaiser Permanente has ordered 4 megawatts of Bloom-produced power, requiring 40 boxes.
Some experts said power-purchase agreements could help spread the use of fuel cell technology, much as they have in the solar industry, by lowering the upfront costs for users.
"Anything you can do to remove the barriers to adoption is a really important step forward," said Ruth Cox, executive director of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Assn. "We're already seeing a lot more momentum with fuel cells, and even more companies will take advantage with an opportunity like this."
In the past, fuel cells were seen as expensive and difficult to produce. But with technical breakthroughs, government subsidies and declining prices because of growing adoption, fuel cell companies seem poised for expansion.
Bloom Chief Executive KR Sridhar said the new affordability would help Bloom ? which debuted the technology last year to much fanfare ? expand to residential customers over the next decade.
"It's all about flexibility," he said. "We are a culture of instant gratification. This is a way to get it."
Fridays Wall St Journal...
"US Renewable-Energy Incentives Help Bloom Energy To Expand Sales"
SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)--Federal and state incentives for renewable energy are spurring growth of Bloom Energy's fuel cell business, just as they have helped wind and solar-power technologies. Privately held Bloom Energy, which makes fuel cells that generate emissions-free electricity, has expanded into the electricity sales business because of government incentives. For example, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company now offers such customers as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) the option of buying the power generated by a fuel cell installed on its property... etc
I know renting these units could result in a few possible headaches, but numbers are numbers. That would get the price per unit down. Sure the Bloom are $800K but I think the same principle applies. Out of reach for most. I think they'll be keeping an eye on what this does for Bloom sales.
CFU Price at posting:
13.2¢ Sentiment: LT Buy Disclosure: Held
