From a 3D printed vaccine patch to an electric truck and a seawater-powered lamp, Bloom’s pioneering approach to hydrogen production joins other bold innovations in the sixth annual awards that honor the products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are driving change, tackling issues from climate change to inequality, and so much more.
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 3, 2022 — The winners of Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring clean technology, innovative corporate initiatives, brave new designs for cities and buildings, and other creative works that are supporting the growth of positive social innovation, tackling social inequality, climate change, and public health crises.
In this year’s sixth annual awards, the Bloom Electrolyzer is honored as a finalist in the “Energy” category for its unparalleled efficiency in producing clean, low-cost hydrogen. Hydrogen is expected to become a major asset in the path to decarbonization and the fight against climate change. Yet one of primary barriers to scalable and abundant hydrogen production is cost – up to 80 percent of the cost of hydrogen production through electrolysis is electricity. Because the Bloom Electrolyzer operates at high temperatures, it requires less energy than PEM and alkaline electrolyzers on the market today to split water molecules, supporting a trajectory for hydrogen to become economically accessible.
This year’s World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 39 winners, 350 finalists, and more than 600 honorable mentions—with climate, social justice, and AI and data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,997 entries across energy, transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more. In addition, several new categories have been added this year including climate, nature, water, and workplace. The 2022 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Australia.
Fast Company’s Summer 2022 issue (on newsstands May 10, 2022) will showcase some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling global challenges. The issues highlight, among others, probiotics for coral reefs, easy-to-assemble kit homes for refugees or disaster survivors, a 3D printed vaccine patch, an electric truck, a system to heat homes from the waste heat of a name-brand factory, and prosecutor-initiated resentencing for overly long prison sentences.
“Climate change is one of our planet’s greatest and most significant threats,” said Rick Beuttel, vice president, hydrogen business, Bloom Energy. “Without immediate and impactful action, we face irreversible damage for future generations. But if there is an untapped hero with the potential to make a major global impact in the fight against climate change, it’s clean hydrogen. With our highly efficient Electrolyzer, Bloom Energy has brought a single ambition that crosses industries, markets, and geographies: to enable a flourishing hydrogen market in service of achieving global decarbonization goals.”
“We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our society’s most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges,” says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution.”
For more information about the Bloom and the company’s commitment to a zero-carbon future, visit: www.bloomenergy.com/.
About Bloom Energy
Bloom Energy empowers businesses and communities to responsibly take charge of their energy. The company’s leading solid oxide platform for distributed generation of electricity and hydrogen is changing the future of energy. Fortune 100 companies around the world turn to Bloom Energy as a trusted partner to deliver lower carbon energy today and a net-zero future. For more information, visit www.bloomenergy.com.
About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.