Hydrogen fuel cell will power home

At a time when more and more homes are being built with energy-efficiency in mind, a local developer announced Thursday, plans to take the concept one step further. Ron Monahan, creator of the The Ridge at Chukker Creek, said he plans to begin construction of a "net-zero," home, to be powered by a combination of a hydrogen fuel cell and solar energy in May.

The idea behind net zero homes is making it so that homeowners do not have an electric bill. The homes typically have their own power supplies, such as solar power for electricity and geothermal for heating and cooling.

In February, Monahan and his architect, George Wyatt, revealed plans to build two to four net-zero homes in the eco-friendly development. Monahan said shortly after, he was "challenged," by Aiken County Center for Hydrogen Research Director Fred Humes to use a hydrogen fuel cell to power one of the homes.

According to Watt, the way the process works is the house would draw electricity through a power grid which will be provided by Aiken Electric Cooperative. The home will also have the ability to feed power back to the electric company, earning a credit toward the energy used.

For the project, solar cells will line the roof and will run the electricity it captures through an electrolyzer which will separate the oxygen from hydrogen. The hydrogen is captured to run along the house with the solar power. Humes called the plans a "revolutionary process," and said it was just one more step in making Aiken County the leader in hydrogen energy.

"We're very proud to be a part of this project," he said.

Aiken County Councilman Scott Singer agreed.

"I'm here to tell you Aiken is going to be the hydrogen capital in South Carolina," he said.

Monahan said The Ridge will also help to make Aiken County a leader in energy efficiency home construction in the nation. "This will be the greenest development in the U.S. at this time," said Monahan. The developer said the project will also have a positive effect on Aiken's economy, saying it will create "green-collar jobs" in the area.

"We build here and who knows where we will go from here," he said. Monahan said the net-zero homes will be priced around $40,000 to $50,000 higher than average.

He plans for the first home to be operational by midsummer.