Bloom Energy Energy Server 5 (ES5-FA2AA0 / ES5-BA2AA0), 200 kW
Manufacturer: Bloom Energy
Bloom's 200 kW Energy Server 5, and the vintage trap that separates it from the older ES-5700 at the same rating
This model is part of SecondWatt’s fuel cell research catalogue. Specifications and price observations are included where supported by sources. Equipment availability and commercial terms require confirmation.
Bloom Energy Server 5 200 kW dossier: how to tell an ES5 from the older ES-5700 at the same rating, specs, certification status and inspection guidance.
Two Bloom machines carry a 200 kW rating a decade apart, and confusing them is the most likely listing error at this rating. The Energy Server 5 builds are ES5-FA2AA0 at 200 kW net AC base load and ES5-BA2AA0 at 210 kW nameplate and 200 kW base load, both weighing about 13.6 to 13.7 tons with a 65% to 53% LHV efficiency band on the FA2AA0 sheet. The earlier ES-5700 is also 200 kW base load and 210 kW nameplate, but weighs 19.4 tons and publishes efficiency as simply above 50% LHV.
That is a difference of roughly six tons and fifteen efficiency points on identical nameplate kilowatts. It changes the rigging plan, the pad design, the fuel consumption and the value. The ES-5700 was certified under CARB Executive Order DG-036, which expired on 21 September 2016; the ES5 family ran under DG-044, which expired on 27 March 2026.
The ES-5700 population matters commercially for a different reason. Certified in 2011, these are the oldest large-population Bloom units in the field and therefore the only cohort old enough to be decommissioned in volume, which makes them the most realistic candidate for genuine used supply if any ever reaches an open channel. None has. The current equivalent at this rating is ES6-2000 on the Energy Server 6.5 platform.
Why it matters
Nameplate kilowatts are not an identity in this category. Two machines a decade apart share 200 kW and differ by six tons and fifteen efficiency points, and only the model code separates them. Any fuel cell listing has to be read by model code rather than rating.
Who buys it
Owners of installed 200 kW Bloom fleets managing spares and service across both vintages, and anyone diligencing a listing that says 200 kW without stating a model code. New buyers at this rating are routed to ES6-2000 on the current platform, which shares no parts with either older build and carries a live CARB certification the older units no longer hold.
Role in the data center
Primary on-site generation in arrays, and the entry increment for smaller commercial and institutional sites across the 2011 to 2023 Bloom build era. Both builds run grid parallel under California Rule 21 and IEEE 1547.
Key specifications
| ES5-FA2AA0 rated output | 200 kW net AC |
|---|---|
| ES5-FA2AA0 efficiency | 65-53 cumulative LHV, 65% verified to ASME PTC 50 % |
| ES5-FA2AA0 weight | 13.6 tons |
| ES-5700 rated output | 210 nameplate / 200 base load kW |
| ES-5700 efficiency | above 50 LHV % |
| ES-5700 weight | 19.4 tons |
| ES-5700 fuel consumption | 1.32 MMBtu/hr |
| ES-5700 CO2 | 773 lb/MWh |
| Fuel pressure | 10-18 (15 nominal) psig |
| Dimensions (FA2AA0) | 14 ft 9 in x 8 ft 8 in x 7 ft 0 in |
| ES-5700 certification | CARB Executive Order DG-036, expired 2016-09-21 |
| Current equivalent | ES6-2000 on the Energy Server 6.5 platform |
| Duplicate of the row above (parser workaround, superseded) | 200 kW |
Technical summary
ES5-FA2AA0: 200 kW net AC base load; 65-53% LHV cumulative; 5,811-7,127 Btu/kWh; 13.6 tons. ES5-BA2AA0: 210 kW nameplate and 200 kW base load; 53-60% LHV; 6,295-7,127 Btu/kWh; 13.7 tons. ES-5700 (predecessor): 210 kW nameplate and 200 kW base load; above 50% LHV; 19.4 tons. Fuel: natural gas and directed biogas at 10-18 psig, 15 psig nominal. ES-5700 fuel consumption: 1.32 MMBtu/hr on natural gas. Emissions: NOx below 0.01, CO below 0.05, VOC below 0.02 lb/MWh on the FA2AA0 build. CO2: 679-833 lb/MWh on natural gas (773 on the ES-5700). Dimensions: 14 ft 9 in x 8 ft 8 in x 7 ft 0 in (26 ft 5 in x 8 ft 7 in on the ES-5700). Environment: minus 20 to 45 degrees C, 0 to 100% humidity; below 70 dBA at 6 ft. Certification: ANSI/CSA FC1-2014, California Rule 21, IEEE 1547, CARB 2007.
Major variations
Three distinct 200 kW-class machines: ES5-FA2AA0 and ES5-BA2AA0 on the Energy Server 5 platform, and the earlier ES-5700. They differ in weight by about six tons and in published efficiency by roughly fifteen points, so the model code rather than the rating is the identity. The current equivalent at this rating is ES6-2000 on the Energy Server 6.5 platform.
Configurations and options
Two current-platform builds carry this rating, ES5-FA2AA0 at 200 kW net AC base load and ES5-BA2AA0 at 210 kW nameplate against 200 kW base load, with published efficiency bands of 65 to 53% and 53 to 60% LHV respectively. Fuel is natural gas or directed biogas at 10 to 18 psig. The choice that matters most on a used purchase is not an option at all but the vintage, since the ES-5700 predecessor shares the rating on very different hardware.
Compatibility and dependencies
Fuel is natural gas or directed biogas at 10 to 18 psig with 15 psig nominal. The two vintages impose different site constraints: the ES5 builds occupy 14 ft 9 in by 8 ft 8 in by 7 ft 0 in at about 13.6 to 13.7 tons, while the ES-5700 is 26 ft 5 in by 8 ft 7 in at 19.4 tons, so a like-for-like swap between them is not a like-for-like pad. Interconnection is grid parallel under California Rule 21 and IEEE 1547.
Pricing and availability
Trend: rising Lead time, new: Superseded; new orders route to ES6-2000. Lead time, used or refurbished: No used or refurbished unit listed as of August 2026.
Published cost benchmarks
Cost figures from filings and published studies. They describe budgets or project costs, not equipment prices.
- $6.88M · AT&T Freehold
Lifecycle and maintenance
Solid oxide stacks are the consumable and the manufacturer controls them. Bloom reports a fleet of more than 20,000 fuel cell modules deployed since 2009, with modules from 2014 and 2015 showing a median recorded life of 4.9 years, more than 900 running past 5 years and a maximum to date of 7.7. Replacement is a manufacturer operation performed on site in under an hour, after which title to the removed module passes back to the manufacturer and the hardware goes to its own repair and overhaul centre. Contracted service runs 5 to 20 years and covers filter and adsorbent replacement alongside periodic fuel cell replacement, and the dollar rate per kilowatt is redacted in Bloom's public filings.
Thermal and emissions profile
Fuel cells generate without combustion, and that is the whole regulatory argument for siting them where an engine or a turbine cannot be permitted. California's distributed generation certification regulation sets 0.07 lb/MWh NOx, 0.10 CO and 0.02 VOC for fossil-fuelled distributed generation, and current products certify far below it, at 0.003 lb/MWh NOx for Bloom, 0.01 for FuelCell Energy and 0.02 for HyAxiom. Sacramento's 2024 best available control technology determination classifies those limits as achieved in practice and allows a combined heat and power credit of one MWh per 3.4 million Btu of recovered heat. Carbon dioxide is not eliminated: a natural gas fuel cell emits 679 to 1,006 lb/MWh electric-only, falling to 496 to 567 with full heat recovery.
Common failure points
- Stack degradation — Cumulative electrical efficiency falls from 65% toward 53% LHV across module life
- Title reversion on replaced modules — Every swapped fuel cell module reverts to the maker by contract, so a used unit may be missing its stacks
- Thermal cycling — High-temperature ceramic stacks tolerate a limited number of shutdowns and no maker publishes an allowance
- Sulfur and siloxane contamination — Sulfur deactivates catalysts and siloxanes deposit silica across anode surfaces
- Certification lapse — A California siting certification issued to the maker expires on a schedule the buyer does not control
- Service dependency — Third-party service is contractually barred on financed fleets and only the maker supplies stacks
Inspection checklist
Chain of title: establish whether the seller holds title or a project company does; Bloom contracts carry a right of first refusal at section 3.6. Repurchase right: get a written waiver; the contractual repurchase value is the greater of fair market value or 100% of purchase price reduced annually. Module inventory: confirm which fuel cell modules are physically present; replaced modules revert to the maker under section 4.04. Measured heat rate: test against the 7,550 Btu/kWh minimum efficiency level in Bloom's own contracts and the 5,811-7,127 datasheet band. Efficiency band: published cumulative efficiency runs 65% down to 53% LHV, so a mid-life unit is not a 65% machine. Module age: Bloom reports a median recorded module life of 4.9 years and a maximum of 7.7 across more than 20,000 modules.
Procurement channels
Service and module replacement through Bloom only. The one documented fleet turnover on this platform was Bloom repurchasing its own 30 MW Delaware installed base in 2019, with removal inside ten business days and no hardware reaching a public resale channel.
Regional notes
The ES-5700 CARB certification DG-036 expired 2016-09-21 and the ES5 family certification DG-044 expired 2026-03-27, so neither vintage can be sited in California today under a live order without the manufacturer recertifying.