Los Angeles-based SoCalGas wants to demonstrate in the Valley community of Orange Cove something never tried before in California — fueling homes with hydrogen gas. The company plans to start small, pumping the hydrogen through natural gas lines at a low rate to prove it can be done. And, they’ll make the hydrogen in Orange Cove using solar power.
Meanwhile, in Kerman, demand for transportation fuel from the nation’s first hydrogen facility powered by biogas exceeds six times the production capacity. H2B2 USA built the Kerman facility a year ago and plans to more than triple its production in 2025 with a second phase. Bottom line: As California tries to meet its green energy goals, hydrogen advocates see the gas as complementary to other renewables such as wind and solar.
In addition, hydrogen better meets the energy demands than other renewables for industries such as heavy manufacturing and logistics. “It’s basically being able to store solar power in the form of hydrogen for days, weeks, and months,” said Neil Mavin, senior vice president of engineering, major projects and chief clean fuels officer with SoCalGas. “And so you can draw on that hydrogen for powering homes, stoves, and ovens at any time.
” Related Story: Orange Cove Project Starts Small Plans call for SoCalGas is to build a 1.1-megawatt solar facility to power the machines making hydrogen that will be pumped into the city’s existing gas pipelines, said Blaine Waymire, project manager of hydrog.
