Taking action in the name of sustainable development is an undertaking for anyone of any age! In the suburbs of Gothenburg, Hans Olof Nilsson, a Swedish sexagenarian, has built the first house in the world that is totally self-sufficient in terms of energy, powered by the sun and hydrogen.
In Gothenburg, industrial engineer Hans Olof Nilsson has created the first house to be self-sufficient in terms of energy. It’s a smart house, which happens to incorporate the same technologies as our own vessel. The house comprises 160m2 of solar panels, which directly supply the latter with electricity year-round. When the need for energy is reduced, the surplus electricity is used to power a hydrogen fuel cell. Hans Olof Nilsson has an electrolyser enabling him to create and store his own hydrogen. In addition to being self-sufficient in energy, the house boasts some unique technology enabling him to optimise the internal temperature and in so doing make huge energy savings.
His house has been off-grid since March 2015. The Swedish authorities find the ingenuity of this approach thrilling. In 2017, the town of Vågårda decided to seek Hans Olof Nilsson’s expertise with a view to the renovation of 172 social housing units. It is keen for these homes to adopt the same technologies as Nilsson’s house.