SoCalGas building first of its kind hydrogen project for SunLine buses

The Southern California Gas Company announced today the construction of an advanced hydrogen generation system, the first of its kind, at the SunLine Transit Agency.

"SunLine has been pioneering hydrogen technologies for nearly three decades and partnering with SoCalGas on this project continues the momentum necessary to make hydrogen fueling accessible to the public," said Lauren Skiver, CEO/general manager of SunLine Transit Agency in a statement. "Producing clean hydrogen is the future of fuel, and this system will play a pivotal role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions."  

STA said it has incorporated clean technology into its operations to provide environmentally conscious public transportation since 1993.   

The H2 SilverSTARS demonstration project, an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance California's clean air and climate goals, is designed to help fuel SunLine's 17 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses by producing hydrogen from renewable natural gas, according to a statement from SoCalGas.  

The project could then help provide renewable hydrogen at natural gas fueling stations or locations near a natural gas pipeline, according to the STARS Technology Corporation.  

The first STARS system, once installed, will fuel three of the SunLine's zero-emission buses per day with up to 80 kilograms of clean hydrogen, according to the statement. STA expects to fully transition to zero emissions by 2035.  

"This is the kind of demonstration project we love to see in California and we're excited construction has started,'' said Neil Navin, SoCalGas vice president of clean energy innovations in the statement.

"SoCalGas will use the knowledge gained from this project to help accelerate the adoption of clean hydrogen."  

The project's first demonstration unit for commercial testing is expected to be shipped in September, according to STARS Technology Corporation.