In 2020, SoCalGas set out to build a net-zero clean renewable hydrogen microgrid that could provide a reliable source of power for more than 21 million of their customers. The result is the [H2] Innovation Experience—North America’s first clean renewable energy hydrogen-powered microgrid and home, located at its Energy Resource Center in Downey. Clean renewable hydrogen is hydrogen that is produced using methods that do not use any fossil fuels, which results in limited or zero greenhouse gas emissions.
[H2]IE features clean, renewable hydrogen production through a microgrid system that powers a nearly 2,000-square-foot *LEED-certified home. The home draws power from rooftop solar panels and directs the energy into an electrolyzer and to a battery for storage. The electrolyzer uses solar energy to separate purified water into renewable hydrogen and oxygen. This renewable hydrogen is then stored and blended at 20% with natural gas to be used in the home. Excess renewable hydrogen is also directed to a fuel cell to create renewable electricity, which is stored in the battery. The clean hydrogen microgrid system can power more than 100 homes. (*Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is the world’s most widely used green building rating system and is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement.)
Rina Padula, SoCalGas customer communications manager, prepares to serve fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, baked in H2’s hydrogen-fueled oven, to tour participants.
“This project has the potential to transform clean energy infrastructure as we know it,” said Maryam Brown, president of SoCalGas. “When we set out to meet our goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2045, we knew we needed a tangible demonstration of what that could look like, so we chose to build a home. The home really represents how green hydrogen can power neighborhoods, industry, transportation and power generation.”
Brown adds that the technology has the scalability to potentially provide a year-round, reliable supply of clean energy during power outages and public safety power shutoffs.
“The project demonstrates how net-zero gas made from renewable electricity can be used in pure form or as a blend to fuel energy systems and communities of the future,” said Neal Navin, chief clean fuels officer at SoCalGas. “Once captured, that hydrogen can be stored and deployed at any hour of the day from the H2 microgrid, resulting in a highly resilient energy source.”
SoCalGas continues to invest in additional hydrogen and hydrogen blending pilot projects with the goal of making California the clean fuel hub of America. •
For more information visit socalgas.com/sustainability/hydrogen/h2home