Located at SP’s training centre at Woodleigh Park, the self-sustaining building is 100 percent powered with renewable energy via an innovative Hydrogen Energy System and is disconnected from the national electricity grid.
The Hydrogen Energy System used to power the three-storey building makes use of solar energy captured by solar panels on the grounds of the training centre.
This solar energy is used to conduct electrolysis – where water is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen generated from this process is then channelled to tanks where it bonds with special metal alloy powders to form metal hydride.
When electricity is required, the stored hydrogen from the metal hydride tanks is then slowly released and passed through fuel cells to generate electricity.
The process is 100 percent green, said SP in a press release, with zero carbon emissions. The Hydrogen Energy System, which is housed within a container outside the building and is fully automated, also tackles supply fluctuations and intermittency issues – common shortcomings of renewable energy, said SP.
When there is surplus renewable energy, this energy can be stored in the form of hydrogen in the metal hydride tanks. It can later be converted back to electricity when there is a deficit of renewable energy.
According to channelnewsasia.com
