[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The discs are produced from baked sand and then painted on each side with the special ink.  In between the discs an inexpensive metal (not platinum) is placed.  According to Mr. Sridhar, 64 discs could power a Starbucks.

The Bloom Box has some additional downsides; for one, it produces carbon dioxide emissions, an alternative energy no-no.  However, there's also numerous upsides -- the boxes have a tiny footprint versus alternatives (eBay's solar installation takes "acres and acres" versus the five Bloom Boxes that can fit inside a large room).  The device could also be carbon neutral if it used carbon from plant sources, such as algae or switchgrass ethanol.  And best of all it can produce at full power 24-7 -- something no solar or wind generator can claim.

So is the "magic" box a stud or a dud?  It's hard to tell.  About the only thing that's for sure is that Wednesday's announcement should be intriguing.

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According to the comments.....installations are all in California and benefitting from BOTH Cal state subsidies and Fed subsidies....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Runs on methane,...natural gas,...ethanol,...etc...

But it qualifies as a Green source so big subsidies...like 50%...

Does not use platinum...

[DManA]

operating temperature of 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Do you have to somehow supply this heat or does it generate it itself?

[eyeamok]

BIG SCAM:

30 years to pay for itself but it only has an expected lifespan of 5 YEARS.

[DrC]

“According to Mr. Sridhar, 64 discs could power a Starbucks.”

This is one thing I didn’t understand. Maybe I wasn’t listening closely enough. When he showed the first disc, I thought he or the SeeBS person said 1 could generate enough energy to run a light bulb. Does a Starbucks run on the equivalent of 64 light bulbs?

If a house-sized unit sold for $3K, that would be extraordinary, as heat pumps cost about that amount, but you nevertheless have an annual power bill to run them in addition to the capital cost. But I didn’t hear the part about their expected life-time being only 5 years (or was someone just throwing that out as a joke?). But even if they had to be replaced every 5 years, that’s only $50 per month. Anyone have electric/power bills that low? Not in my neck of the woods! So if he could mass-produce something at that price point, that would be revolutionary.