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Created by: K. R. Sridhar, a company that has been "undercover" for decade(s)
Funded by: The same person who funded:
--Google
--Amazon
--ect.

--Segway

What is BloomBox?: It is a set of small boxes, each one made up of special ceramic plates with special inks on each side, separated with a cheap metal alloy, put into a large generator which feeds oxygen in one side and natural gas (which could be renewable: eg. landfill gases, solar, etc.) in the other and out comes electricity! <-- |-:

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recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake near twizel.

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While the smart grid is not a new concept, new technologies are transforming the grid edge and creating a platform for transformation of the traditional electricity grid functions.

At its core, the smart grid is the use of emerging technology to promote energy and cost efficiency. A smart energy network, automatically reading and reacting to supply and demand changes offers the potential for greater security of supply through efficiency.

When coupled with the roll-out of smart meters, the potential for efficiency is even greater as consumers adjust their own real-time demands and accelerate the integration of renewable energy into the grid.

With this in mind, the EU has set a target of 80 per cent of existing electricity meters to be replaced by 2020, estimating a potential emission reduction across the EU by up to 9 per cent and a similar reduction in annual household energy consumption.

The EU's ambitions were set out in the context of a technology and innovation-led transformation of the electricity system. The World Economic Forum (WEF) have identified three key trends which are disrupting traditional models from generation to beyond the meter. These are:

* electrification of large sectors of the economy such as transport and heating;

* decentralisation, spurred by the sharp decrease in costs of distributed energy resources (DERs) like distributed storage, distributed generation, demand flexibility and energy efficiency; and

* digitalisation of both the grid, with smart metering, smart sensors, automation and other digital network technologies, and beyond the meter, with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and a surge of power-consuming connected devices.

Explaining how each of these elements are complementing each other in development, the WEF says: "Electrification is critical for long-term carbon reduction goals and will represent an increasingly relevant share of renewable energy. Decentralisation makes customers active elements of the system and requires significant coordination. Digitalisation supports both the other trends by enabling more control, including automatic, real-time optimisation of consumption and production and interaction with customers."

The three trends are being driven by a variety of factors, however, the most notable are their decreasing costs, their enablement of innovative business models and, as the WEF states, "the sizeable improvement to the asset utilisation rate of the electricity system", using electric cars as an example of an area for potentially large growth.

The societal and economic benefits of integration of these trends are also wide-ranging. Previous analysis by the WEF estimated that the transformation of electricity over the next decade could generate $2.4 billion in value. As well as economic benefits such as job creation and societal benefits such as environmental improvements, the WEF also indicates the potential for creating greater social energy balance by utilising grid edge technologies to support low-income households.

The Forum identifies four main challenges in securing an efficient transition towards a new electricity system, pointing out that failure to do so could result in the stranding of network assets and ultimately customer deflection from the grid.

Outlining the challenges, it says: "First, electricity is still largely perceived only as a commodity, making customer engagement in new technologies a costly and difficult endeavour. Second, the current regulatory paradigm hinders distributed resources from providing their full value to the system. Third, uncertainty around rules prevents key stakeholders from deploying enabling infrastructure that could complement the grid as the backbone of the future electricity system. Finally, some segments resist a cultural change towards a different allocation of roles and new business models."

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While the smart grid is not a new concept, new technologies are transforming the grid edge and creating a platform for transformation of the traditional electricity grid functions. At its core, the smart grid is the use of emerging technology to promote energy and cost efficiency.

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The Smart Grid

Maybe you have heard of the Smart Grid on the news or from your energy provider. But not everyone knows what the grid is, let alone the Smart Grid. "The grid," refers to the electric grid, a network of transmission lines, substations, transformers and more that deliver electricity from the power plant to your home or business. It's what you plug into when you flip on your light switch or power up your computer. Our current electric grid was built in the 1890s and improved upon as technology advanced through each decade. Today, it consists of more than 9,200 electric generating units with more than 1 million megawatts of generating capacity connected to more than 300,000 miles of transmission lines. Although the electric grid is considered an engineering marvel, we are stretching its patchwork nature to its capacity. To move forward, we need a new kind of electric grid, one that is built from the bottom up to handle the groundswell of digital and computerized equipment and technology dependent on it-and one that can automate and manage the increasing complexity and needs of electricity in the 21st Century.

What Makes a Grid "Smart?"

In short, the digital technology that allows for two-way communication between the utility and its customers, and the sensing along the transmission lines is what makes the grid smart. Like the Internet, the Smart Grid will consist of controls, computers, automation, and new technologies and equipment working together, but in this case, these technologies will work with the electrical grid to respond digitally to our quickly changing electric demand.

What does a Smart Grid do?

The Smart Grid represents an unprecedented opportunity to move the energy industry into a new era of reliability, availability, and efficiency that will contribute to our economic and environmental health. During the transition period, it will be critical to carry out testing, technology improvements, consumer education, development of standards and regulations, and information sharing between projects to ensure that the benefits we envision from the Smart Grid become a reality. The benefits associated with the Smart Grid include:

More efficient transmission of electricity

Quicker restoration of electricity after power disturbances

Reduced operations and management costs for utilities, and ultimately lower power costs for consumers

Reduced peak demand, which will also help lower electricity rates

Increased integration of large-scale renewable energy systems

Better integration of customer-owner power generation systems, including renewable energy systems

Improved security

Today, an electricity disruption such as a blackout can have a domino effect-a series of failures that can affect banking, communications, traffic, and security. This is a particular threat in the winter, when homeowners can be left without heat. A smarter grid will add resiliency to our electric power System and make it better prepared to address emergencies such as severe storms, earthquakes, large solar flares, and terrorist attacks. Because of its two-way interactive capacity, the Smart Grid will allow for automatic rerouting when equipment fails or outages occur. This will minimize outages and minimize the effects when they do happen. When a power outage occurs, Smart Grid technologies will detect and isolate the outages, containing them before they become large-scale blackouts. The new technologies will also help ensure that electricity recovery resumes quickly and strategically after an emergency-routing electricity to emergency services first, for example. In addition, the Smart Grid will take greater advantage of customer-owned power generators to produce power when it is not available from utilities. By combining these "distributed generation" resources, a community could keep its health center, police department, traffic lights, phone System, and grocery store operating during emergencies. In addition, the Smart Grid is a way to address an aging energy infrastructure that needs to be upgraded or replaced. It's a way to address energy efficiency, to bring increased awareness to consumers about the connection between electricity use and the environment. And it's a way to bring increased national security to our energy System-drawing on greater amounts of home-grown electricity that is more resistant to natural disasters and attack.

Giving Consumers Control

The Smart Grid is not just about utilities and technologies; it is about giving you the information and tools you need to make choices about your energy use. If you already manage activities such as personal banking from your home computer, imagine managing your electricity in a similar way. A smarter grid will enable an unprecedented level of consumer participation. For example, you will no longer have to wait for your monthly statement to know how much electricity you use. With a smarter grid, you can have a clear and timely picture of it. "Smart meters," and other mechanisms, will allow you to see how much electricity you use, when you use it, and its cost. Combined with real-time pricing, this will allow you to save money by using less power when electricity is most expensive. While the potential benefits of the Smart Grid are usually discussed in terms of economics, national security, and renewable energy goals, the Smart Grid has the potential to help you save money by helping you to manage your electricity use and choose the best times to purchase electricity. And you can save even more by generating your own power.

Building and Testing the Smart Grid

The Smart Grid will consist of millions of pieces and parts-controls, computers, power lines, and new technologies and equipment. It will take some time for all the technologies to be perfected, equipment installed, and systems tested before it comes fully on line. And it won't happen all at once-the Smart Grid is evolving, piece by piece, over the next decade or so. Once mature, the Smart Grid will likely bring the same kind of transformation that the Internet has already brought to the way we live, work, play, and learn.

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Smart Grid: The Smart Grid | SmartGrid.gov

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SmartGrid.gov is the gateway to information on federal initiatives that support the development of the technologies and policies transforming the electric power industry. This site is supported by the Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability within the U.S. Department of Energy.

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The core of the Bloom box technology is sand. From the sand they get zirconium oxide. They use the zirconium oxide to make a fuel cell which they altered and changed to make a Bloom Box fuel cell. The Bloom Box fuel cell can produce 25 watts, and when you take many and put them together in what is called a stack that is enough to power an average US home. To get even more power you just take more stacks and put them together.

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Reduced peak demand, which will also help lower electricity rates

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Reduced peak demand, which will also help lower electricity rates

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Better integration of customer-owner power generation systems, including renewable energy systems

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Better integration of customer-owner power generation systems, including renewable energy systems

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https://www.smartgrid.gov/the_smart_grid/smart_grid.html

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The Smart Grid represents an unprecedented opportunity to move the energy industry into a new era of reliability, availability, and efficiency that will contribute to our economic and environmental health. 

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The Smart Grid represents an unprecedented opportunity to move the energy industry into a new era of reliability, availability, and efficiency that will contribute to our economic and environmental health. 

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The Smart Grid will consist of millions of pieces and parts—controls, computers, power lines, and new technologies and equipment.

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The Smart Grid will consist of millions of pieces and parts—controls, computers, power lines, and new technologies and equipment.

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While modernization of electrical grids into smart grids allows for optimization of everyday processes, a smart grid, being online, can be vulnerable to cyberattacks.[82] Transformers which increase the voltage of electricity created at power plants for long-distance travel, transmission lines themselves, and distribution lines which deliver the electricity to its consumers are particularly susceptible.[83] These systems rely on sensors which gather information from the field and then deliver it to control centers, where algorithms automate analysis and decision-making processes. These decisions are sent back to the field, where existing equipment execute them.[84] Hackers have the potential to disrupt these automated control systems, severing the channels which allow generated electricity to be utilized.

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While modernization of electrical grids into smart grids allows for optimization of everyday processes, a smart grid, being online, can be vulnerable to cyberattacks.[82] Transformers which increase the voltage of electricity created at power plants for long-distance travel, transmission lines themselves, and distribution lines which deliver the electricity to its consumers are particularly susceptible.[83] These systems rely on sensors which gather information from the field and then deliver it to control centers, where algorithms automate analysis and decision-making processes. These decisions are sent back to the field, where existing equipment execute them.[84] Hackers have the potential to disrupt these automated control systems, severing the channels which allow generated electricity to be utilized.

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The December 2015 Ukraine power grid cyberattack, the first recorded of its kind, disrupted services to nearly a quarter of a million people by bringing substations offline.[88][89] The Council on Foreign Relations has noted that states are most likely to be the perpetrators of such an attack as they have access to the resources to carry one out despite the high level of difficulty of doing so. Cyber intrusions can be used as portions of a larger offensive, military or otherwise.[89] Some security experts warn that this type of event is easily scalable to grids elsewhere.[90] Insurance company Lloyd's of London has already modeled the outcome of a cyberattack on the Eastern Interconnection, which has the potential to impact 15 states, put 93 million people in the dark, and cost the country's economy anywhere from $243 billion to $1 trillion in various damages.[91]

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The December 2015 Ukraine power grid cyberattack, the first recorded of its kind, disrupted services to nearly a quarter of a million people by bringing substations offline.[88][89] The Council on Foreign Relations has noted that states are most likely to be the perpetrators of such an attack as they have access to the resources to carry one out despite the high level of difficulty of doing so. Cyber intrusions can be used as portions of a larger offensive, military or otherwise.[89] Some security experts warn that this type of event is easily scalable to grids elsewhere.[90] Insurance company Lloyd's of London has already modeled the outcome of a cyberattack on the Eastern Interconnection, which has the potential to impact 15 states, put 93 million people in the dark, and cost the country's economy anywhere from $243 billion to $1 trillion in various damages.[91]

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WHY TO USE A SMART POWER GRID/WHAT IT DOES

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WHY TO USE A SMART POWER GRID/WHAT IT DOES

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More efficient transmission of electricity

Quicker restoration of electricity after power disturbances

Reduced operations and management costs for utilities, and ultimately lower power costs for consumers

Reduced peak demand, which will also help lower electricity rates

Increased integration of large-scale renewable energy systems

Better integration of customer-owner power generation systems, including renewable energy systems

Improved security

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they can carry 3 times as much current, than thicker copper or aluminum power lines.
https://phys.org/news/2011-06-compact-high-temperature-superconducting-cable-award.html#nRlv

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Calcium is added to aluminum. Stronger lighter powerlines compared to steel core. Cost less.  calcium is the answer. Added to aluminum in the form of small particles, the resulting composite is stronger, lighter and can lower overall costs to build new overhead powerlines compared to traditional steel-core aluminum cable. Lighter cable requires fewer support towers, which make up roughly half the total cost of constructing new power lines.

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Calcium is added to aluminum. Stronger lighter powerlines compared to steel core. Cost less.  calcium is the answer. Added to aluminum in the form of small particles, the resulting composite is stronger, lighter and can lower overall costs to build new overhead powerlines compared to traditional steel-core aluminum cable. Lighter cable requires fewer support towers, which make up roughly half the total cost of constructing new power lines.

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https://phys.org/news/2013-04-reinventing-power-line-cable.html

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April 2, 2013 by Laura Millsaps, US Department of Energy

An interior glimpse of centrifugal atomization apparatus constructed at the Ames Laboratory, showing the spinning disc. The disc will intercept a stream of molten calcium and fling off a spray of fine droplets. The droplets, less than one hundred microns in diameter, solidify as they cool and are captured in a quenching bath of hydrocarbon oil, which prevents the calcium from reacting.

Materials scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory are researching ways to perfect a next generation power cable made of an aluminum and calcium composite. Cables of this composite will be lighter and stronger, and its conductivity at least 10 percent better than existing materials for DC power, a growing segment of global power transmission. Its conductivity is about the same as that of existing conductors for AC power.

The cables used today, made of aluminum with a steel core, have been the industry standard for nearly half a century. They represent the best design thinking of the 1960's, said Ames Laboratory materials scientist Alan Russell, but they are a classic example of engineering "trade-offs."

"Pure aluminum power cable would be the perfect answer. Aluminum is light, highly conductive, easy to work with, and inexpensive. Its big failing is that it's too weak. If you put pure aluminum cables up, they would sag right to the ground," he said.

The steel core is necessary to hold them aloft, but adds weight and a host of difficulties in manufacturing, spooling, erecting, and maintaining traditional cable.

"The amount that aluminum and steel deform under elastic loading is different so you start to have problems with the fact you've got two very dissimilar metals clamped together. Then you add ice, plus wind, plus the occasional hurricane or tornado," said Russell, "and a cable of one uniform material begins to look immensely appealing."

Today's conductors transmit AC power well because AC current flows along the outside aluminum "skin" of the cable; the center section carries almost no current. For DC conduction, the entire conductor carries current, and the steel core contributes little, making it "dead weight". The new conductor under development at Ames Lab will carry current well through its entire cross section from skin to center.

The ultimate goal is a much improved alternative to traditional power cables.

Russell and his research team believe calcium is the answer. Added to aluminum in the form of small particles, the resulting composite is stronger, lighter and can lower overall costs to build new overhead powerlines comparedtotraditional steel-core aluminum cable. Lighter cable requires fewer support towers, which make up roughly half the total cost of constructing new power lines.

"Calcium is a really nice choice for a number of reasons," said Russell. "It's even lighter than aluminum, and among all the conductors available, it's the fifth best (after gold, silver, copper, and aluminum). It's abundant, ductile, and inexpensive."

But while calcium is the most attractive choice as a lightweight and inexpensive ingredient for a conductive composite, it is also proving the biggest hurdle. Calcium metal powder isn't readily available, and for good reason. Calcium is reactive with water, and a fine powder can react with humidity in the atmosphere.

"It creates the possibility of an explosion similar to one at a grain elevator. It can be dangerous to manufacture, and because there was no demand, no one was making it," said Russell.

And particle size is the key to the composite's strength.

"We need particles as small as 100 microns or less," said Russell, "If we plot what happens with particle size versus strength, as particle size goes down strength goes up."

Materials scientist Iver Anderson has been researching methods to safely produce the calcium in the needed form. In the lab's first attempt to form the composite into wire, done by a hot extrusion process, they used a form of calcium granules that were more readily available, and about 1.5 mm in size.

"That's very coarse," said Anderson. "In the extrusion process, you can imagine a 1.5mm sphere having to stretch down to a couple hundred nanometers. It isn't ideal, and that's our brick wall. So the question becomes, 'how do we get finer calcium?'"

The research team is exploring one very scalable possibility, as part of the research effort.

This calcium powder production method is centrifugal atomization, where a spinning disc intercepts a stream of molten calcium and flings off a spray of fine droplets. The droplets, less than one hundred microns in diameter, solidify as they cool and are captured in a quenching bath of hydrocarbon oil, which prevents the calcium from reacting.

"We know it's commercially scalable, and we're working with a company that uses the spinning disk method for the production of other metal powders. It would only take some minor modifications to their process to produce passivated calcium powder," said Anderson.

"There is nobody doing anything like this right now at a commercial scale, but that doesn't mean they couldn't," said Anderson. "The passivation provisions are very doable and should not add much cost."

Russell said the research team will be collecting data that will demonstrate the material's strength and conductivity by next year. He is confident they will see encouraging results. Anderson is confident too, and there is interest from industry and utility companies in the possibilities of a cable wound from this composite wire.

Provided by: US Department of Energy

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April 2, 2013 by Laura Millsaps, US Department of Energy Materials scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory are researching ways to perfect a next generation power cable made of an aluminum and calcium composite.

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 it is about giving you the information and tools you need to make choices about your energy use. 

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 it is about giving you the information and tools you need to make choices about your energy use. 

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https://www.smartgrid.gov/the_smart_grid/smart_grid.html

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The difference between a traditional and a smart power grid.

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The difference between a traditional and a smart power grid.

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A traditional power grid is basically  an interconnection of power transmission lines, substations, transformer, synchronous machines, and different types of loads.  where as a smart power grid is more secure and dependable than a traditional power grid a smart grid is also a two way communication between utility and consumer.

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 A microgrid is a localized group of electricity sources that typically run with the traditional macrogrid, but can also disconnect and maintain operations autonomously

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 A microgrid is a localized group of electricity sources that typically run with the traditional macrogrid, but can also disconnect and maintain operations autonomously

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https://building-microgrid.lbl.gov/about-microgrids

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In short, the digital technology that allows for two-way communication between the utility and its customers, and the sensing along the transmission lines is what makes the grid smart. Like the Internet, the Smart Grid will consist of controls, computers, automation, and new technologies and equipment working together, but in this case, these technologies will work with the electrical grid to respond digitally to our quickly changing electric demand.

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 This will minimize outages and minimize the effects when they do happen. When a power outage occurs, Smart Grid technologies will detect and isolate the outages, containing them before they become large-scale blackouts. 

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 This will minimize outages and minimize the effects when they do happen. When a power outage occurs, Smart Grid technologies will detect and isolate the outages, containing them before they become large-scale blackouts. 

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https://www.smartgrid.gov/the_smart_grid/smart_grid.html

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BASICLY THE SMART POWER GRID IS A POWER GRID BUT IT CAN SENSE WHO AND WHAT NEEDS POWER/SOME POWER/NO POWER , AND CAN BE CONTROLLED EASALLY

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Bloom Energy Fuel Cell: A flat rectangle made out of sand --> 25 watts
Stack: A stack of BLOOM ENERGY   FUEL CELL--> powers "the average US home"
BloomBox: A set the size of a refrigerator full of STACK(s)--> Powers starbuks
Bloom Energy Server:  A set of BLOOMBOX(es) the size of a parking spot --> powers supermarket

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Bloom Energy unveils its Bloom Energy server, or "Bloom box," Wednesday morning, which it says will deliver ample amounts of power in a small package.

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It’s a way to address energy efficiency, to bring increased awareness to consumers about the connection between electricity use and the environment. 

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It’s a way to address energy efficiency, to bring increased awareness to consumers about the connection between electricity use and the environment. 

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https://www.smartgrid.gov/the_smart_grid/smart_grid.html

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In addition to reliability, the fuel flexibility of the platform gives that same datacenter the ability to operate with zero carbon emissions using biogas or reduced carbon emissions using natural gas, all at a lower and predictable total cost of ownership.

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Our Energy Server platform can be personalized to meet your specific energy needs, delivering a combination of levels of reliability, resiliency, and sustainability. In addition to producing on-site energy and reducing your carbon footprint, you reap the benefit of lower and predictable energy costs. Similar to adding applications to a smart phone, our base platform can easily accommodate accessories to provide this personalization of benefits and fully meet your energy needs.

As an example, for a datacenter, our Energy Servers can be configured to provide high quality, grid independent power at a multi-megawatt scale. In addition to reliability, the fuel flexibility of the platform gives that same datacenter the ability to operate with zero carbon emissions using biogas or reduced carbon emissions using natural gas, all at a lower and predictable total cost of ownership.

By contrast, retail stores will have very different requirements as the energy use tends to vary throughout the day. A single Energy Server (250kW to 300 kW) may be able to serve the entire energy load of the store and when combined with energy storage, our platform can reduce peak power consumption and lower costs to further improve the predictability of economics for the store. As an added benefit, this same solution can also deliver greater reliability in the event that the grid should fail-all while reducing the carbon emissions.

Our platform provides unprecedented flexibility to meet your energy needs and personalize benefits for a wide range of facility types as demonstrated by the hundreds of megawatts we have deployed around the world.

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Learn how the Bloom Energy Server platform can be personalized to meet your energy needs by delivering a combination of levels of reliability, resiliency, and sustainability. Produce on-site energy and reduce your carbon footprint, as you reap the benefit of lower and predictable energy costs.

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twizel is about 25-35 miles from major fault lines.

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River flow directions and river drainage systems are not necessarily permanent features of the landscape. Geological changes can cause a river to flow in a different direction, and become a tributary of a different drainage system. This river capture process has been common in the South Island of New Zealand over the past few million years.

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with a smart grid a customer can choose their electricity supplier depending on tax methods.

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the smart grid market in 2009 was valued at 21.4 billion

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Solid oxide fuel cells use a hard compound as an electrolyte. They are about “60% efficient at converting fuel to energy” - energy.gov  SOFC operates at high temperatures, which according to the cite “as high as 1,000°C (1,830°F). High-temperature operation… reducing the cost.” They also are the most sulfur resistant and are not poisoned by carbon monoxide

These are what powers the Bloom BOx

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h