Hydrogen House: Stuck in Neutral

Here’s a fun update from Green Inc., the New York Times blog.

Two years ago, Mike Strizki garnered lots of headlines with his plans to sell zero-emission homes equipped with solar panels and hydrogen storage units.

Since then, however, his company Renewable Energy International, has yet to install a single home and is still looking for funding. The problem? The 3,000 square foot prototype costs $500,000 to build.

“Two years from now, I’m going to be installing these things all over the world,� he told Green Inc. “I’m going to be licensing out franchises. And I’m going to be working on improvements to the units every day.�

Well, I guess that proves there’s a hype cycle, to some degree, in greentech. Energy is a thorny problem and replacing a fossil-fuel infrastructure that’s over 100 years old will take time and money.

Stirzki, though, isn’t alone in having trouble getting off the ground. Several cellulosic ethanol plants have been postponed. Electric cars aren’t exactly churning off the assembly line. This is due, in part, to the high price of batteries. EEStor has yet to show the world its ultracapacitors. Many of these companies have also burnt through millions.

It’s also important to point out that his ideas aren’t wacky either, not even the hydrogen part. Several startups are selling (or gearing up to sell) modular, energy-efficient homes. And Panasonic is working with Japanese utilities to sell a hydrogen home heating and storage system. Nanoptek, which received funds from the Quercus Trust, is working on solar thermal collectors linked to hydrogen.