SIE undergrad leads clean hydrogen capstone project

First-time Interdisciplinary Capstone sponsors Arzon Solar and SEC Energy are moving toward a breakthrough in making hydrogen a renewable, safe and portable energy source. And Team 25020 is contributing to their progress.

“We’re creating a more sustainable future for hydrogen as an energy source,” said student project leader Utah Bryant, an engineering management major.

The team is designing and building a small prototype of a system that will use solar power to generate and store hydrogen, then convert it into electricity – aiming to produce a daily total around 7% of what the average Tucson customer uses. Students will also create a detailed plan that would scale the project to generate up to 80 times the energy output.

Arzon Solar was founded by Vahan Garboushian, a 1966 U of A electrical engineering graduate. Garboushian always felt he would continue his relationship with the university after graduation.

“I expect the students will do an outstanding job. From there, we need more testing, research and development to do this at scale,” he said. “We’re optimistic. These are exciting times.”