Green H2 for homeowners – the lowdown on private residential hydrogen

Green hydrogen (H2) is a true multitalent for replacing fossil fuels – and it has gained increased attention as a home energy solution, particularly due to its strength in long-term energy storage.

First, let’s make one thing clear: Electrolysers and the green H2 they produce are not standalone solutions. But they can be powerful tools for those with the right needs and excess electricity.

At Enapter, we are the pioneers in manufacturing AEM Electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen – but not standalone hydrogen solutions that homeowners can switch on from day one.

For those looking for a standalone home hydrogen solution, you’ll find a list of our current integration partners who can get you started at the bottom of this page – listed by country.
And if you’re simply looking to learn about hydrogen for home use, just keep on reading!

Where does green hydrogen for homes make sense?

For a start, green H2 only makes sense for those producing renewable energy at home – most likely with rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panels – and regularly making more electricity than they use.

Using this excess renewable energy, the AEM electrolysis process splits water into its constituent parts – hydrogen and oxygen. And then what to do with the green hydrogen produced?
The best thing is to wait.

Because unlike freshly-produced electricity, which has to go somewhere or be used immediately, or batteries, which can only store electricity for a short amount of time before starting to lose charge, hydrogen is a lossless form of energy storage.
Meaning you can make it when you have excess renewable electricity – and use it when there’s none, for example in winter, on cloudy days or when you’d otherwise need to buy extra electricity.

This makes private residential green hydrogen a great seasonal energy storage solution for homes in areas where there is very little sunlight in the winter – and also a great energy backup option for those living off-grid or wanting to ensure they are prepared for all eventualities.

What do you need for home hydrogen?

There are two main options for home use – either combustion or using a device known as a fuel cell to reconvert the green hydrogen back into electricity (and water) when it’s needed.

While H2 combustion is cleaner than fossil fuel combustion, doesn’t emit greenhouse gases and could be a useful option in some home H2 use cases, let’s focus on reconversion with a fuel cell.

Starting from the top, you obviously need some sort of renewable electricity generating setup such as rooftop PV panels and well as supporting equipment like an inverter.

Next, an electrolyser.

Our smallest device, the AEM Electrolyser EL 4 suits very well for private residential hydrogen use thanks to its compact size, ability to stack multiple modules for greater hydrogen needs, swift and straightforward deployment, and digital integration with app-based control and monitoring.

You’ll also need a water purifier so that the electrolyser doesn’t degrade over time and a hydrogen dryer, which makes sure that the H2 you produce is pure enough to use in your fuel cell later on.

Next, you’ll need a storage system for the hydrogen – one that’s big enough for your needs and meets safety requirements for your home.

And then, of course, you’ll need a fuel cell to reconvert the green hydrogen to electricity.

By this point, it should be clear that installing home hydrogen is not for anyone but the most experienced engineering experts. But don’t fret: We have plenty of partners who can help.

How to get started with residential green hydrogen?

Beyond the key components mentioned above, there are many important things to keep in mind when planning and installing a hydrogen system, from safely integrating all of the system components to making sure that it will use the energy as efficiently as possible.

That’s why, while it’s technically possible for experts to install their own electrolyser for home hydrogen use, we only sell our electrolysers to companies and our integration partners.

So for private people wanting a residential green hydrogen system for their energy needs, the best way to started with our AEM Electrolysers is to contact our integration partners for their region.

Find the integration partner for your country below and contact them directly to enquire about your home green hydrogen system!

Our home H2 integration partners by country

USA and Canada

Europe

Asia and Pacific

Central and South America

This list is constantly being updated as we expand our pool of integration partners, so if you don’t see an integration partner for your territory, please check back in the future.