The Bloom Box, Harbinger of the Age of Aquarius

Last Wednesday, the closely watched start-up Bloom Energy officially launched its product: a $700,000 box of electricity-producing fuel cells. The green technology is still too expensive for homeowners, but a dozen corporations are already using the Bloom Box and saving money in the process. Eventually, CEO K. R. Sridhar hopes the cost will come down so homeowners can have their own Bloom Boxes.   The Bloom Box is clearly a harbinger of the Age of Aquarius. The basic design includes flowing warm air to stimulate the movement of ions from one plate to another in order to create electricity. Aquarius, an air sign, is associated with electricity and new technology. The Age of Pisces and its ruling planet Neptune are associated with an industrial economy dependent on oil.   From the global perspective, electricity currently comes to the user via highly centralized coal, nuclear or gas-powered plants. The Bloom Box de-centralizes the entire system by allowing the end-user to make his own electricity. Aquarius is all about de-centralization in order to empower the individual. The Age of Pisces is about dependency on external sources (including deities) for one's well being, but especially on global-warming fossil fuels.   The Bloom Box is making its appearance as transiting Jupiter and Uranus are heading into a conjunction, a 14-year cycle that tends to bring technological revolutions in its wake. The current tech revolution will be challenged by Saturn's simultaneous opposition to the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, indicating that there'll be plenty of bugs and practical considerations to work out. Still, the Bloom Box and other innovative, paradigm-busting technologies are advancing civilization into the Age of Aquarius.