Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, announced it is assembling the [H2] Hydrogen Home, a state-of-the-art demonstration project designed to show the resilience and reliability of a hydrogen microgrid. It is taking shape at its Energy Resource Center in Downey, CA.

The [H2] Hydrogen Home features a nearly 2,000-square-foot house, solar panels, a battery, an electrolyzer that converts solar energy to hydrogen, and a fuel cell to supply electricity for the home. Hydrogen also will be blended up to 20 percent with natural gas and used in the home’s tankless water heater, clothes dryer, gas stove, fireplace, and outdoor grill.

The H2 Hydrogen Home will function and feel exactly like a regular home while continuously using reliable, clean energy. It will draw energy from solar panels and convert excess energy into clean hydrogen, which can be stored and then converted back into electricity with an on-site hydrogen fuel cell when more energy is needed.

The project aims to demonstrate how a home that acts as a miniature microgrid can be constructed on a larger scale to power residential neighborhoods and businesses.

The home module is being constructed to LEED Platinum standards, which means it will adhere to prerequisites that make it an environmentally friendly and healthy place for people to live. Connect Homes in San Bernardino, CA, is building the house module.

“For the past decade, SoCalGas has invested in hydrogen research and development, recognizing it as a critical component of our transition to net-zero emissions,” said Maryam Brown, SoCalGas president. “The [H2] Hydrogen Home brings many of the technologies that we helped pioneer together under one roof in a unique showcase of how California might power resilient communities and businesses in the future.”

Tags : Clean Energy, All