Award winning microgrid project honored by Engineering News-Record California

DOWNEY, Calif., Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) stands as one of the 16 recipients honored with the regional "Award of Merit" by Engineering News-Record (ENR) California for its [H2] Innovation Experience microgrid demonstration project. Recipients of the award also include other noteworthy projects in fields such as healthcare, hospitality, and education.

The award comes as part of ENR California's 2023 Best Projects competition. This year an independent group of experts evaluated 75 entries from California and Hawaii and recognized 26 as Best Projects and 16 Awards of Merit. The "Award of Merit" honors the best construction projects and the companies that designed and built them across the country.

"The [H2] Innovation Experience is a first of its kind showcase of how California's electric and gas systems can work together to deliver renewable and resilient energy to communities around the clock," said Neil Navin, Chief Clean Fuels Officer at SoCalGas. "The [H2] Innovation Experience was built in 18 months to LEED Platinum standards and with a perfect safety record, thanks to innovative design and the skilled union workers who turned this microgrid concept into reality. The demonstration project's opening was celebrated by labor leaders, policymakers, and government officials because it demonstrates that California has the technology, infrastructure expertise, and a strong skilled workforce ready to deliver the projects that will help Californians achieve its clean energy and climate goals."

"In the case of [H2] Innovation Experience, the judges cited the project team completing such a state-of-the-art facility on schedule," said C.J. Schexnayder, Editor at ENR California. "They also noted the project team's commitment to safety as well as energy and environmental savings. The project 'hit the mark' with a design that met the intended use to create a visually open and good model for future reference."

Just recently, the project earned yet another recognition by Fast Company, being named a finalist for the "Best Experimental Design" category in its Innovation by Design Awards. This experimental category honors projects that put accessibility front and center. Fast Company also named the project a world-changing idea in 2021.

Earlier this year, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis joined SoCalGas at the demonstration project's unveiling event and said, "This first-of-its-kind project shows how clean renewable hydrogen and microgrids can help power homes, enhance grid reliability, and preserve and grow good-paying union jobs in our state."

Last year, the [H2] Innovation Experience earned the Sustainable Innovation Award from the U.S. Green Building Council – Los Angeles in the "Energy and Operational Carbon" category, recognizing SoCalGas' commitment to sustainability and exemplary performance. The project's groundbreaking contributions to a more sustainable future also garnered the SEAL Sustainability Innovation Award, further underlining its significance and impact.

The [H2] Innovation Experience is a clean hydrogen microgrid demonstration project in Downey featuring clean hydrogen production and storage along with a nearly 2,000 square-foot home that can draw power from solar panels on sunny days and convert excess renewable energy into clean hydrogen. Excess renewable energy can be stored and then converted back into electricity, as needed, via an on-site hydrogen fuel cell 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The project has been constructed in adherence to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standards.

In 2021, SoCalGas became the first and the largest natural gas utility in the United States to announce its aim to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Last year, the company announced its Sustainability Strategy, putting words into action by setting measurable clean energy and sustainability objectives. These efforts cover a broad range of goals and initiatives aimed at achieving a safe, reliable, resilient, affordable, and equitable energy transition to net zero.

To watch and learn more about [H2] Innovation Experience click here.

To learn more about SoCalGas' sustainability efforts, visit https://www.socalgas.com/sustainability.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas^® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service to over 21 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines will continue to play a key role in California's clean energy transition—providing electric grid reliability and supporting wind and solar energy deployment.

SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy infrastructure company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas aspires to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 and to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply to core customers with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for customers. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), an energy infrastructure company based in San Diego.

For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

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Factors, among others, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement include risks and uncertainties relating to: decisions, investigations, inquiries, regulations, denials or revocations of permits, consents, approvals or other authorizations, renewals of franchises, and other actions by (i) the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), U.S. Department of Energy, and other governmental and regulatory bodies and (ii) the U.S. and states, counties, cities and other jurisdictions therein where we do business; the success of business development efforts and construction projects, including risks in (i) completing construction projects or other transactions on schedule and budget, (ii) realizing anticipated benefits from any of these efforts if completed, and (iii) obtaining the consent or approval of third parties; litigation, arbitrations and other proceedings, and changes to laws and regulations; cybersecurity threats, including by state and state-sponsored actors, of ransomware or other attacks on our systems or the systems of third parties with which we conduct business, including the energy grid or other energy infrastructure, all of which have become more pronounced due to recent geopolitical events; our ability to borrow money on favorable terms and meet our obligations, including due to (i) actions by credit rating agencies to downgrade our credit ratings or place those ratings on negative outlook or (ii) rising interest rates and inflation; failure of our counterparties to honor their contracts and commitments; the impact on affordability of our customer rates and our cost of capital and on our ability to pass through higher costs to customers due to (i) volatility in inflation, interest rates and commodity prices and (ii) the cost of the clean energy transition in California; the impact of climate and sustainability policies, laws, rules, regulations, disclosures and trends, including actions to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas, increased uncertainty in the political or regulatory environment for California natural gas distribution companies, the risk of nonrecovery for stranded assets, and our ability to incorporate new technologies; weather, natural disasters, pandemics, accidents, equipment failures, explosions, terrorism, information system outages or other events that disrupt our operations, damage our facilities or systems, cause the release of harmful materials or fires or subject us to liability for damages, fines and penalties, some of which may not be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms or insurance or may impact our ability to obtain satisfactory levels of affordable insurance; the availability of natural gas and natural gas storage capacity, including disruptions caused by failures in the pipeline system or limitations on the withdrawal of natural gas from storage facilities; changes in tax and trade policies, laws and regulations, including tariffs, revisions to international trade agreements and sanctions, any of which may increase our costs, reduce our competitiveness, impact our ability to do business with certain counterparties, or impair our ability to resolve trade disputes; and other uncertainties, some of which are difficult to predict and beyond our control. 

These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that the company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on Sempra's website, www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. 

Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (Oncor) and Infraestructura Energética Nova, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (IEnova) are not the same companies as the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric Company or Southern California Gas Company, and Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Mexico, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and IEnova are not regulated by the CPUC. 

SOURCE Southern California Gas Company