Clean Energy Institute at UC Irvine

Happy Holidays from the Clean Energy Institute! Wishing you a Sustainable Future and an Amazing 2026!

Can hydrogen energy change the world? Jack Brouwer, director of the Clean Energy Institute at UC Irvine thinks so. He's creating hydrocarbon fuels for aviation and shipping. Listen to the podcast: https://theucilabbeat.podbean.com/e/hydrogen-fueling-the-future/

Join UCICL for our annual Gas Turbine Combustion Short Course, taking place March 9-12!

The course provides detailed instruction on the emissions, design, performance, theory, and regulations associated with gas turbine combustion systems.

Take advantage of early bird discounted rates and Register TODAY!

More info: https://bit.ly/47UHORH
Register: https://bit.ly/49zOHci

University of California, Irvine

CEI Director Jack Brouwer weighs in on Los Angeles Department of Water & Power’s decision to transition its largest power plant from natural gas to green hydrogen: “DWP is known around the world now as a leader in decarbonization, and their progress to date has been tremendous,” Brouwer said. “The whole world is watching.”

Read more about LADWP’s goals here:

In controversial move, LADWP says it will shift its largest gas power plant to hydrogen The DWP board approved an $800-million plan to convert two units at the Scattergood Generating Station in Playa del Rey to run on green hydrogen.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has published the final report from our research at CEI on the Demand-Based Renewable Hydrogen Power-to-Power Project.

Funded by the CEC, this project moved beyond lab theory to generate real world performance data on electrolyzers, hydrogen energy storage scaling in California, and fuel cells.

Read the full report: https://bit.ly/47Ekbg8
University of California, Irvine
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine

Demand Based Renewable Hydrogen Power-to-Power Project The Demand-Based Renewable Hydrogen Power-to-Power Project, led by DasH2energy and supported by the California Energy Commission under EPIC award EPC-19-037, aimed to develop, deploy, and evaluate a behind-the-meter hydrogen energy storage system integrating an alkaline electrolyzer, high-pressure h...

“Real-world deployment of bidirectional charging is essential for gathering the data, and the technical and customer adaptation insights needed to scale V2H deployment across the grid, " said APEP's Prof. Samuelsen, referring to the recently implemented V2H technology in Menifee, CA homes.

With its ability to use an EV battery to power a home and store solar energy, V2H technology represents a major step toward a clean and renewable energy future. The six in home V2H testers are just the beginning.

Read more about the development and capabilities of V2H technology. https://bit.ly/47EBPz0

University of California, Irvine
The Wall Street Journal
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine
KB Home

The Man Who Wants Your Car to Power Your Home—and Save the Grid The CEO of Wallbox is betting his bidirectional chargers can turn every electric vehicle into an energy hub.

This past month CEI hosted our annual Oak View Science Club at the Oak View Branch Library Huntington Beach for PreK–6th grade students.

Students explored science and engineering in action, designing egg drop devices, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, experimenting with solar panels, and engineering spaghetti-marshmallow bridges.

Hands-on activities like these foster curiosity, creativity, and confidence in the next generation of problem solvers.
Thank you to the Oak View community, the Oak View Branch librarians, and SoCalGas RD&D for their support in making this program possible.

Huntington Beach Public Library
University of California, Irvine
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine

“Because then, as the technology costs go down their regular cost curve — like sun and wind power have, like batteries have — we’re going to start to find people adopting this technology.” Says CEI Director Jack Brouwer in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, discussing the future of hydrogen energy in Southern California.

https://bit.ly/41I3JYz

University of California, Irvine

The energy source that could survive Trump's attack on California's green ambitions The Avina project in Vernon will be one of the largest hydrogen production and dispensing facilities in the country when it opens this fall.

CEI/APEP alumni Tim Brown and Shane Stephens, together with automotive industry veteran Joel Ewanick, founded FirstElement Fuel (FEF) in 2013 to accelerate the future of clean transportation.

FEF is leading the way in building a robust hydrogen fuel network and supporting zero-emission vehicle adoption.

Read full article here: http://bit.ly/4o0XAAi

University of California, Irvine

Fueling What’s Next – UCI Beall Applied Innovation The car started instantly. The motor was silent. It promised a 300-mile range. None of it matched what Brown understood to be technically possible.

Check out the latest review paper from CEI, "Global warming impacts of the transition from fossil fuel conversion and infrastructure to hydrogen"

Read the full paper here: http://bit.ly/4eC3pA3

University of California, Irvine
Sajjad Rezaei

Global warming impacts of the transition from fossil fuel conversion and infrastructure to hydrogen Emissions from fossil fuel extraction, conveyance, and combustion are among the most significant causes of air pollution and climate change, leading t…