SoCalGas Begins Assembling Award-Winning H2 Hydrogen Home

LOS ANGELES, March 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has kicked off the assembly of its award-winning H2 Hydrogen Home in Downey, a state-of-the-art demonstration project designed to show the resiliency and reliability of a hydrogen microgrid.

The company took delivery of the modular, prefabricated H2 Hydrogen Home, which is the first of its kind in the United States and will show how carbon-free gas made from renewable electricity can be used to fuel clean energy systems of the future. The home will act as a miniature microgrid – storing and providing resilient, low-carbon power when energy is needed – and demonstrate how such an energy system could be constructed on a larger scale to power residential neighborhoods and businesses.

"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."

"The H2 Hydrogen Home is a tangible example of the cutting-edge technologies and clean energy systems that we will need to meet our net-zero carbon goal by 2045," said California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia. "As we shift toward a future of renewable electricity in California, we will rely on a variety of energy solutions, including hydrogen and advanced fuel cells to create a more resilient grid. I am proud that this first in the nation example will be showcased in the 58th district."

"From our days as the home of the Apollo Space Systems, we in the City of Downey have been proud to be at the forefront of new and developing technologies," said Downey Councilmember and former Mayor Claudia M. Frometa. "Now we are excited to be a part of this historic moment in furthering the development of green hydrogen."

The H2 Hydrogen Home features a nearly 2,000 square-foot home, solar panels, a battery, an electrolyzer to convert solar energy to hydrogen and a fuel cell to supply electricity for the home. Hydrogen will also be blended up to 20% with natural gas and used in the home's tank-less water heater, clothes dryer, and gas stove, fireplace and BBQ grill. The home will function and feel exactly like a regular home but use reliable and clean energy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, by drawing power from solar panels on sunny days and converting excess energy into clean hydrogen, which can be stored and then converted back into electricity with an on-site hydrogen fuel cell when solar or batteries cannot provide enough energy. The home is also being constructed to LEED Platinum standards.

The materials for the home were delivered this week by clean Class 8 trucks powered by hydrogen and electric power supply systems that only emit water. The featured participants included two Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks, part of a California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Energy Commission (CEC) project called "NorCal ZERO" to deploy or supply 30 trucks in Northern California by early 2023, as well as two Kenworth T680s equipped with the Toyota fuel cell electric system, which are being demonstrated as part of the CARB Port of Los Angeles "Shore to Store" (S2S) project.

SoCalGas is on the cutting edge of clean energy technology, leading the nation in the march toward net zero through innovative hydrogen projects. In March 2021, it became the largest gas distribution utility in North Americato set a net zero target for greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045.

Hydrogen is set to play a critical part in SoCalGas' – and California's – energy future, particularly in transitioning hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as dispatchable electric generation, heavy industries, and heavy-duty transportation. In all, SoCalGas has more than 10 major pilot projects related to hydrogen innovation that are leading the charge to build a cleaner future.

Just last week, SoCalGas proposed to develop what would be the nation's largest green hydrogen energy infrastructure system to work toward decarbonizing those sectors in the L.A. Basin. The proposal, called Angeles Link, could displace up to 3 million gallons of diesel per day, helping to eliminate hazardous air pollutants, and could allow natural gas power plants in the region to convert to green hydrogen.

Last summer, Fast Company named the H2 Hydrogen Home one of its world-changing ideas for 2021. The project is set to be completed as soon as summer 2022.

For more information on the project, click here.

For B-roll and photos of the project, click here.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines will continue to play a key role in California's clean energy transition—providing electric grid reliability and supporting wind and solar energy deployment.

SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas is committed to the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 and to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply to core customers with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for customers. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego.

For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook. 

About Hyundai Motor Company 

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision 'Progress for Humanity,' Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions, while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero emission vehicles equipped with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies. 

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at:  https://worldwide.hyundai.com or https://globalpr.hyundai.com or https://trucknbus.hyundai.com/hydrogen/en.

About Toyota

Toyota, creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America (more than 39,000 in the U.S.). 

Over the past 60 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 43 million cars and trucks in North America at the company's 13 manufacturing plants.  By 2025, the company's 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.6 million cars and trucks (more than 2.3 million in the U.S.) in 2021, of which more than a quarter were electrified vehicles (hybrids, plug-ins and fuel cells).

About Kenworth

Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World's Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. With an excellent heritage of quality, innovation and technology, Kenworth has played an essential role in the development of trucks that are more fuel efficient, productive and economical to operate. In addition to the demonstration of class 8 hydrogen fuel cell powered Kenworth T680s, Kenworth's Driving To Zero Emissions™ program features the Kenworth T680E, K270E and K370E battery electric vehicles designed for local pickup and delivery, drayage and short regional haul applications. Built on proven platforms with superior visibility, reliability, maneuverability and driver comfort, the EV models combine state-of-the-art zero emissions powertrains with comprehensive PACCAR charging solutions and infrastructure support to drive to zero emissions with confidence.

To learn more about how Kenworth is Driving To Zero Emissions, visit the program's website (www.kenworth.com/innovation/zero-emissions).

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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company