Award winning microgrid project honored by Engineering News-Record California
DOWNEY, Calif., Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) stands as one of the 16 recipients honored with the regional "Award of Merit" by Engineering News-Record (ENR) California for its [H2] Innovation Experience microgrid demonstration project. Recipients of the award also include other noteworthy projects in fields such as healthcare, hospitality, and education.
The award comes as part of ENR California's 2023 Best Projects competition. This year an independent group of experts evaluated 75 entries from California and Hawaii and recognized 26 as Best Projects and 16 Awards of Merit. The "Award of Merit" honors the best construction projects and the companies that designed and built them across the country.
"The [H2] Innovation Experience is a first of its kind showcase of how California's electric and gas systems can work together to deliver renewable and resilient energy to communities around the clock," said Neil Navin, Chief Clean Fuels Officer at SoCalGas. "The [H2] Innovation Experience was built in 18 months to LEED Platinum standards and with a perfect safety record, thanks to innovative design and the skilled union workers who turned this microgrid concept into reality. The demonstration project's opening was celebrated by labor leaders, policymakers, and government officials because it demonstrates that California has the technology, infrastructure expertise, and a strong skilled workforce ready to deliver the projects that will help Californians achieve its clean energy and climate goals."
"In the case of [H2] Innovation Experience, the judges cited the project team completing such a state-of-the-art facility on schedule," said C.J. Schexnayder, Editor at ENR California. "They also noted the project team's commitment to safety as well as energy and environmental savings. The project 'hit the mark' with a design that met the intended use to create a visually open and good model for future reference."
Just recently, the project earned yet another recognition by Fast Company, being named a finalist for the "Best Experimental Design" category in its Innovation by Design Awards. This experimental category honors projects that put accessibility front and center. Fast Company also named the project a world-changing idea in 2021.
Earlier this year, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis joined SoCalGas at the demonstration project's unveiling event and said, "This first-of-its-kind project shows how clean renewable hydrogen and microgrids can help power homes, enhance grid reliability, and preserve and grow good-paying union jobs in our state."
Last year, the [H2] Innovation Experience earned the Sustainable Innovation Award from the U.S. Green Building Council – Los Angeles in the "Energy and Operational Carbon" category, recognizing SoCalGas' commitment to sustainability and exemplary performance. The project's groundbreaking contributions to a more sustainable future also garnered the SEAL Sustainability Innovation Award, further underlining its significance and impact.
The [H2] Innovation Experience is a clean hydrogen microgrid demonstration project in Downey featuring clean hydrogen production and storage along with a nearly 2,000 square-foot home that can draw power from solar panels on sunny days and convert excess renewable energy into clean hydrogen. Excess renewable energy can be stored and then converted back into electricity, as needed, via an on-site hydrogen fuel cell 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The project has been constructed in adherence to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standards.
In 2021, SoCalGas became the first and the largest natural gas utility in the United States to announce its aim to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Last year, the company announced its Sustainability Strategy, putting words into action by setting measurable clean energy and sustainability objectives. These efforts cover a broad range of goals and initiatives aimed at achieving a safe, reliable, resilient, affordable, and equitable energy transition to net zero.
To watch and learn more about [H2] Innovation Experience click here.
To learn more about SoCalGas' sustainability efforts, visit https://www.socalgas.com/sustainability.
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 over 21 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 infrastructure company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas aspires to achieve 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 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 infrastructure company based in San Diego.
For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
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Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (Oncor) and Infraestructura Energética Nova, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (IEnova) are not the same companies as the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric Company or Southern California Gas Company, and Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Mexico, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and IEnova are not regulated by the CPUC.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
