In Italy, researchers have built the world's first hydrogen fuel-cell-powered house. They used hydrogen to fuel an electrolyzer that splits water into oxygen and hydrogen. The resulting hydrogen gas is then used to produce electricity and heat.

According to Euronews, scientists from the University of Sannio collaborated with private companies to develop this solution.

University of Sannio dean Gerardo Canfora told Euronews, "Lately, we have focussed on the issue of CO2 emissions in the environment and worked on the idea of using hydrogen to make this house a completely self-sufficient system."

Europe is in a tough economic situation as it cannot import oil from OPEC anymore and needs to reduce CO2 emissions. So, this new European-made house is tailored to meet these requirements.

Additionally, the increasing energy crisis and climate change are motivating European institutions to find innovative ways to minimize the use of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide emissions. And this new type of home meets both demands.

Using hydrogen-powered fuel cells, the University of Sannio generates electricity and heat for the building. And besides being a student house, the Benevento building is a living laboratory that assesses the benefits and limitations of these technologies.

The technical research center for sustainable construction, Stress Consortium, actively assisted in the design and construction of the building.

Hans Olof Nilsson, a Swedish Centenarian, built the first energy-sufficient house in Gothenburg, Europe. The house is powered by hydrogen and the sun.

It has been off the grid for most residents in the suburbs of Gothenburg since March 2015, with 160 square meters of solar panels providing electricity all year round. And during periods of low energy demand, hydrogen fuel cells can be powered by excess electricity.

The originality of this technology interested the Swedish Authorities. In light of this, Vagarda collaborated with Nilsson to renovate 172 social housing units to implement the strategy town-wide.

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