Using a microgrid, Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) has announced the production of renewable hydrogen for the first time.
The [H2] Innovation Experience microgrid project is housed in a 185m2 hydrogen-powered home in Downey, California, just southeast of Los Angeles.
The surplus energy produced by the solar panels will be transformed into green hydrogen, which can be stored and later used to power an on-site hydrogen fuel cell generator.
The home’s tankless water heater, dryer, stove, fireplace, and grill will all utilize a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas.
SoCalGas’s first-ever generation of green hydrogen came from this project’s electrolyzer, even though the house itself is far from finished.
SoCalGas Vice President of Clean Energy Innovations Neil Navin called the creation of the first kilogram of renewable hydrogen an important step as the company prepares to open its [H2] Innovation Experience to the public in the coming months.
This project showcases our work toward achieving net zero and demonstrates the importance of clean fuels like renewable hydrogen in achieving California’s clean energy and resiliency goals.
In 2021, Fast Company recognized SoCalGas’s hydrogen house as one of its ‘World altering ideas’ in the North America category for its innovative design and construction to LEED platinum standards, which is widely regarded as the bar for such projects.
SoCalGas has over 10 different hydrogen-related projects in the works, including the [H2] Innovation Experience, which will showcase the robustness and dependability of a sustainable hydrogen microgrid to provide local communities with electricity.
Back in September, SoCalGas was among a group of utilities that proposed a statewide program to increase hydrogen mixing. It follows a year and a half of blending tests conducted by the business at its Centralized Training Facility and Engineering Analysis Center.
