Retro Tuesday: a Present Future Hydrogen House

By December 14, 2021 4   min read  (722 words)

December 14, 2021 |

fuel cells works, Retro Tuesday: a Present Future Hydrogen House

Somethings never get old and seeing the Nilsson Energy R&D Living-lab in the below video is one of those things. (Thanks Professor David Blekhman for making and sharing the video!)  The home serves to this day as a world-class example of the value of hydrogen and fuel cells and how they can be integral for sustainable off-grid living.  In the Living-lab hydrogen and fuel cells enable storage of energy, the production of electricity, and the production of heat.  However, when hydrogen and fuel cells are combined with solar panels and batteries, then it creates a situation where a home can go off-grid completely and remain that way indefinitely.

In the summer the solar panels provide the home with electricity and power an electrolyzer that creates hydrogen which is then stored for later use. During autumn and winter the solar panels continue to provide some electricity, but the fuel cells take over the heavy lifting of electricity production with the benefit of providing heat that can be channeled to warm up water.  The water then can be used to heat a home, and it can be supplemented with additional heat sources that use electricity.

However, because of the generous amounts of electricity that the home creates and with the help of a battery back-up system, the home can also be used to charge batter electric vehicles (BEVs).  With a little more tinkering such a system could also enable hydrogen refueling of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).  Such a setup also enables the ability to use an induction stove top in the kitchen which enables meals to be cooked faster than todays electric and gas stove tops.

It is easy to see future neighborhoods and housing developments being built around hydrogen and fuel cells. Each house would contribute electricity using its solar panels to a central location, and in the central location the electricity would be stored using hydrogen and batteries. Then whenever a home is unable to generate the electricity it needs it taps into the central core. If a community ever produces too much energy it could let other communities near by know and those neighborhoods could then tap that excess energy. It is easy to imagine that this ripple effect could have far reaching positive consequences, especially in times of disasters since each district could be a source of help to all those near it.

Such a community could be further enhanced by using the refuse it produces to generate hydrogen using a system like the one Raven SR produces. By producing hydrogen on-site using Raven SR it would also support the ability of BEV charging. It would also allow a neighborhood to sell electricity to nearby users like mobile network operators.

The use of a community using fuel cells would also enable the community to have a clean source of drinking water that would be completely sustainable, and the system could be independent of a municipality’s water source giving a neighborhood an emergency back-up system.

With hydrogen and fuel cells not only do people gain a completely renewable and effective way to generate electricity, but they also get to re-capture their energy independence. When an electric grid fails as it did in Texas February 2021 there are few things more comforting than knowing that the lights will always stay on. Of course, if a neighborhood can gain an additional water source and serve as a resource for others in emergency situations, then local security can be translated into regional security which multiplies the value of sustainable living.

 

About the Author
Jesse Lyon

Jesse Lyon, Contributor

Jesse Lyon is a hydrogen fuel cell thought leader and world-class essayist who is committed to helping bring a hydrogen economy to life imminently. His previous work involved ten published papers on the topics of cyber liability and technology E&O, plus one paper that introduced the insurance sector to robotic liability.

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Fuel Cells Works, its directors, partners, staff, contributors, or suppliers. Any content provided by our contributors or authors are of their own opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

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