No electric grid, no batteries: OGZEB house to run on hydrogen, solar power

Publication Date:04-March-2007  09:00 AM US Eastern Timezone   Source:Diane Hirth-Tallahassee Democrat.
What's a rectangle of dirt today may turn into an entirely energy self-sustainable house of the future by December. The Off-Grid Zero Emission Building or OGZEB is being built at Florida State University under the watchful eye of mechanical engineering professor Anjaneyulu Krothapalli, with the help of several other faculty and graduate students. "We are building a house that's not connected to the grid, completely run by solar during the day, and the house during the night will be running on hydrogen," he said. "That is unique. All the materials in the house are recyclable and green materials." "In about five years," was Krothapalli's estimation of how soon a house like this could be affordable and produced commercially. On Tuesday, there was a groundbreaking for OGZEB, which will be built just south of Tennessee Street near the north entrance to FSU's campus. The house will incorporate a way to make hydrogen using solar energy and an innovative fuel cell that both currently have patent applications pending. Hydrogen will be used for the big energy consumption in the house, such as heating, cooling and generating hot water. OGZEB's interior design is FSU-generated too, incorporating sustainable materials like bamboo floors. FSU scraped together $200,000 for the project, which is receiving support from private partners like Mad Dog Design and Construction. The FSU Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering Center is seeking more financial support for OGZEB. "We are building the building at cost," said Kristin Dozier of Mad Dog. "We really want the knowledge base to present to our clients."