Qualico Communities said it and ATCO received funding from Alberta Innovates and Natural Resources Canada to conduct a feasibility and front-end engineering design study for a hydrogen-based home. In response, Qualico said HomeOne located within its SummerWood community is the outcome of that funding and study, becoming the first hydrogen-heated home in North America. “While hardly unusual or noteworthy from the outside, HomeOne is a milestone years in the making, following intensive research and studies,” said Qualico in a statement. “This single home isn’t just a prototype; it’s proof that hydrogen heating can power the future.” Qualico started off by saying it has partnered with ATCO to establish a pure hydrogen-heated community in Sherwood Park. At completion, it said this will be the world’s largest hydrogen-heated community. With this project, it said it “exhibits the essential role of innovation in addressing climate change, building a sustainable future, and achieving the sustainability goals set by the provincial and federal governments.” It added it demonstrates how trusted companies such as it and ATCO can work together to provide safe, reliable energy and create sustainable communities prioritizing the well-being of people and the planet. HomeOne was built by Qualico company Sterling Homes and features an advanced hydrogen heating system that consists of a dual hydrogen-fueled furnace and a water heater created by Canadian heating company Gradient Thermal. Qualico said HomeOne “showcases the future of low-carbon residential heating and is an important step in designing and building large-scale, hydrogen-heated communities here in Alberta.” Qualico and ATCO are using the term Home Hydrogen to refer to the kind of hydrogen that will be used in their residential community and could become a common replacement to natural gas across Canada.At the moment, Qualico said high performance hydrogen for heating is the most reliable, attainable, affordable, and safest pathway to net zero. Residential developments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands have demonstrated hydrogen gas is a safe, reliable, affordable, and low-carbon alternative to natural gas.While hydrogen gas has similar risks to natural gas and must be treated with similar care, it said the technology exists to use them safely and has no risk with carbon monoxide poisoning. It said this project reflects the Alberta government’s commitment to taking a leadership role in fighting climate change by providing a low-carbon alternative to traditional home heating methods. Additionally, it pointed out it supports the Alberta government’s Hydrogen Roadmap by promoting the adoption of clean hydrogen for heating, power generation, transportation, and industrial processes.The pure hydrogen community will be in Sherwood Park in the northeast area referred to as Bremner. This reference comes from the community being located within Area Structure Plan One of the Bremner Area Concept Plan in Strathcona County.Qualico owns 1,200 acres of the total 5,000 acres in the Bremner Area Concept Plan and will develop up to 37,000 hydrogen-heated homes to accommodate about 80,000 people over the next 50 years.The Edmonton International Airport (EIA) announced in 2023 it has plans to open Alberta’s first commercial filling station for fuel cell electric cars..Edmonton to get Alberta’s first hydrogen filling station.EIA signed deals with Toyota Canada to supply the vehicles, which is part of the Edmonton Region Hydrogen Hub, to host Alberta’s first fleet of hydrogen-powered zero emission vehicles. It will take delivery of 100 Toyota Mirais, which will operate with hydrogen-powered buses, snow plows, and heavy-duty armoured transport vehicles.It is all part of EIA’s plan to be net zero by 2040 and the Edmonton Metropolitan Area’s goal of having 5,000 hydrogen and hydrogen dual-fuel vehicles on its roads by 2028.
