Inside the Solar-Hydrogen House: No More Power Bills--Ever
A New Jersey resident generates and stores all the power he needs with solar panels and hydrogen
Credits: ©DAVID BIELLOHYDROGEN FUTURE/PAST?: Even the remote-controlled car Strizki favors runs on a 20-year-old hydrogen fuel cell. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
BACKYARD TINKERER: Strizki has made several hydrogen advancements in his capacious garage, including building his own fuel cell stacks, designing a hydrogen-powered fire vehicle for Peugeot, and reconfiguring his lawn mower to run on hydrogen. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
HYDROGEN MOTOR: The Ford "Genesis" has a 104-horsepower electric motor that gets its juice from the two fuel cell stacks that take up most of the space under the hood. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
HYDROGEN CAR: This AIV (aluminum-intensive vehicle) from Ford, dubbed "Genesis," was personally retrofitted to run on hydrogen by Strizki in 2000, when it set a range record of 401.5 miles (646.2 kilometers). David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
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HYDROGEN POWER: Strizki can also use the stored hydrogen as fuel. It takes about 10 minutes to fill his hydrogen car's tank. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
FUEL CELL: This fuel cell stack from Plug Power based in Latham, N.Y., provides power during the winter months when the photovoltaic panels cannot generate it, turning the hydrogen back into water and electricity. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
HYDROGEN STORAGE: Strizki stores 19,000 cubic feet (538 cubic meters) of hydrogen--the energy equivalent of 40 gallons (150 liters) of gasoline--in these used propane tanks from the 1970s. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
FUEL MAKER: This electrolyzer uses the spare electricity generated--Strizki's house only needs about 10 kilowatt-hours per day--to separate purified tap water into oxygen and hydrogen. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
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BATTERY LIGHT: One hundred Marathon batteries store some of this solar electricity to provide power at night. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
POWER PLANT: Computers, inverters and other controls help Strizki harvest as much as 90 kilowatt-hours of electricity on a sunny June day. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
SOLAR POWER: Civil engineer Mike Strizki has lined the roof of his garage with 56 photovoltaic panels to harvest the free and abundant energy of the sun--even in New Jersey. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
HYDROGEN HOUSE: This house in East Amwell, N.J., looks like a typical suburban dwelling but is actually the first private home to be powered by a solar--hydrogen energy system. David Biello / © SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
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