After 3 years of planning and 1.5 years of construction, the first green hydrogen house in the U.S. was completed in Scottsdale, Arizona. The project has numerous passive and active sustainable design features including the use of mass, radiant barriers, and convection air for natural cooling. In addition to using materials for a healthy living environment, the house will improve the air, recycle the water, and literally integrate into the landscape, as it is earth sheltered. Photovoltaic (solar electric) power will produce hydrogen from water to use as a fuel for heating water, cooking meals, producing electricity, and running the cars.

The owner, Bryan Beaulieu, is a mechanical engineer with 20 patents in structural systems. Mr. Beaulieu has been working with the American Hydrogen Association, architect Bob Bacon, and the Scottsdale Green Building Program to design the most sustainable desert home possible. He has designed unique building systems to naturally cool the house and produce its own energy. His central focus is to produce hydrogen as a fuel to heat water for household needs and interior heating, for cooking, to run electric generators, clean the air and fuel cars. The project is a part of the city Green Building Program and is the highest scoring project to date.Initial home construction began in the fall of 2004. The goal is to create a house that not only provides a healthy living environment for his family but one that will help improve the air, land, and water at the same time. The central focus of Bryan’s residence is to use photovoltaic panels to electrolyze water, which produces hydrogen. The hydrogen will be used as a fuel to heat water for bathing and space heating, to cook meals, to run electric generators, to clean the air, and fuel the cars (City of Scottsdale, 2005).