Jan-Justus Schmidt

World’s First Solar Powered Hydrogen Energy Storage Multi-House Residence

Since March 2014, I have been working for CNX Construction on the Phi Suea House development in Chiang Mai. The Phi Suea House is a sustainable residence project consisting of 4 family homes and other support buildings fully powered by photovoltaic panels and an innovative hydrogen energy storage system – the first of its kind worldwide.

As project lead engineer, I am responsible for the design and implementation of the renewable energy, electrical infrastructure and building automation systems – and for telling people about how they work. With the help of my colleagues at CNX Creative, I created explanatory posters, presentations and videos throughout the project.

My main contribution to the Phi Suea House project is the energy system at the site. The Phi Suea House is completely off the public grid and powered only by the sun. To supply the site and its residents with electricity at night I implemented an innovative hydrogen energy storage system, incorporating the latest technological advancements in the field.

The innovation lies in our energy storage system – we’ve combined a traditional battery with a self-recharging hydrogen energy storage system to maximise the advantages of each.

The idea of the hydrogen energy storage is that excess solar power is used to run electrolysers during the day. Electrolysers produce hydrogen gas by using an electric current to separate water into its composite gases: hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen gas can then be transformed back in to electricity through a fuel cell at night.

This video gives a general overview of the energy system at the Phi Suea House:

The system has been up and running and supplying power for the first three completed buildings of the Phi Suea House (Phase 1) since early 2015. On January 29, 2016, full utilization of the Phi Suea House energy system officially began.

Please visit www.phisueahouse.com to get more information about the opening event.