Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) are collaborating to demonstrate how electrolytic hydrogen can be safely blended into existing natural gas infrastructure on the university’s campus. The project aims to help better understand how clean fuels like renewable hydrogen could be delivered at scale through California’s existing natural gas system, either to existing customers connected to the gas grid, or to generate clean electricity in zero-emissions fuel cells. The demonstration is an important next step in establishing a statewide injection standard for renewable hydrogen that would promote California’s clean energy and resiliency goals. If approved, SoCalGas could begin testing hydrogen blending at UCI as soon as 2024. As proposed, UCI would use an electrolyzer to convert water into hydrogen for blending into the existing gas grid on sections of the UCI campus. The demonstration would power existing residential and light commercial equipment, including water heaters, boilers, furnaces, and ovens in academic buildings, student amenities, and housing.

The project would initially blend 5 percent hydrogen, with a goal of gradually increasing the hydrogen blend up to 20 percent, resulting in potentially significant CO2 emissions reductions.