Bloom Energy Corporation

Softbank Corporation

Loon LLC

James Smith

Chad Pearson

Arne Watson Ballantine

Matthias Gottmann

Patrick Muhl

Rajesh Gopinath

David Weingaertner

Swaminathan Venkataraman

Ranganathan Gurunathan

Carl Cottuli

Brent D Miller

Ram Ramanan

Peter Gross

Pramod Vachhani

Deepak Shukla

The technology provides a convenient and efficient way for business entities and other organizations to gather and transmit data from remotely located facilities without having to rely on satellite communication or specialized communication equipment. A geographically isolated facility may be used for manufacturing, warehousing, power generation, environmental monitoring, as well as other services. Information about the facility, its equipment and operation are transmitted to a back end system using high altitude platforms (HAPs). This provides opportunistic communication between remote facilities and the back-end system on an as-needed basis, for example based on bandwidth usage, peak/off-peak usage, etc. The HAPs may act as a store and forward service, or process received data before transmitting it to a ground station or the back end system. This approach allows an organization to periodically monitor its facilities, to determine equipment failure, resupply needs, and to assess the status of each facility.

Remote monitoring of geographically distributed assets using mobile platforms

Systems and methods include a power module comprising at least one fuel cell generator for powering a load, and a bypass mechanism having a first, normally-open fast-acting switch that closes in 1-250 msec, and a second, normally-open switch in parallel with the first switch, the bypass mechanism being electrically connected between the load and a second power source, such as a grid source, where the first switch is configured to close in response to a fault event such that when the first switch is closed power to the load is provided from the second power source through the first switch, and the second switch closes after a predetermined time such that power to the load from the second source is provided through the second switch. Additional methods and systems include providing power to a plurality of loads using fuel cell power generators.

Systems and methods for providing fuel cell power to a data center

Various embodiments enable the operation of fuel cell system support equipment using variable frequency drives and power from fuel cells and/or grid power sources.

Fuel cell system with variable frequency drive for support equipment

A method of controlling a fuel cell system includes applying alternating current (AC) signals to an individual fuel cell. The AC signals have a plurality of different frequencies. A voltage across the individual fuel cell is determined at each of the plurality of different frequencies. An impedance characteristic of the individual fuel cell is determined based at least in part on the voltage across the individual fuel cell at each of the plurality of different frequencies. The individual fuel cell is controlled based at least in part on the impedance characteristic.

Method of controlling a fuel cell system using impedance determination

A fuel cell fleet has a plurality of fuel cell systems each connected to a data server. The data server may be configured to obtain operational data from of the plurality of fuel cell systems. An efficiency controller operably connected to the data server and is configured to predict an efficiency and a power output of the fleet from the operational data and optimize the efficiency of the fleet to minimize the fleet fuel consumption while maintaining a desired fleet output power. The efficiency may be determined by a ratio of the fleet output current or output power to the fleet fuel consumption.

Optimizing contractual management of the total output of a fleet of fuel cells

Controlling a fuel cell system based on fuel cell impedance characteristic

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

James Smith