Michael Strizki is able to heat and cool his house year-round, as well as run various appliances, including a hot tub and wide-screen TV, without having to pay for utility bills. His traditional-looking family home in western New Jersey is the first in the country to demonstrate that a combination of solar and hydrogen power can provide all the necessary electricity for a household. This project, known as the Hopewell Project, is significant given the current concerns about US energy security and the impact of burning fossil fuels on the environment. Gian-Paolo Caminiti of Renewable Energy International, the project's commercial arm, believes that people are aware of the issue of climate change but may not know how to address it, and there is a sense of satisfaction in taking environmentally-friendly actions. Strizki operates a 3,000-square-foot home using electricity generated by a 1,000-square-foot roof covered in photovoltaic cells on a nearby building. An electrolyzer converts solar power into hydrogen from water, which is then stored in hydrogen tanks for later use in a fuel cell. During the summer, the solar panels produce excess electricity, which is stored as hydrogen for use in the winter when solar panels alone cannot meet the household demand. Strizki also uses the hydrogen to power his fuel-cell car, which, like his home, is environmentally friendly. Solar power currently accounts for only 0.1 percent of US energy needs, but the number of photovoltaic installations is increasing, and the cost of solar panels is decreasing annually. With decreasing costs and a growing interest in clean alternatives to expensive and polluting fossil fuels, analysts are predicting a significant expansion of solar energy in the next five to 10 years. The New Jersey project, which was completed in October 2006 after four years of planning and construction, had a total cost of approximately $500,000, with $225,000 of funding coming from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. New Jersey is a strong supporter of renewable energy, with a goal of having 20 percent of its energy from renewables by 2020, and currently has the second largest number of solar-power installations in the US after California. The state's utility regulator endorsed the project as it aligns with their renewable energy objectives, according to Doyal Siddell, a spokesman for the agency. He stated that the solar-hydrogen residence project offers a significant opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The project received support from various commercial sponsors, such as Exide and Swageloc, who contributed equipment and expertise. Strizki also invested $100,000 of his own money. The high cost may discourage many from converting their homes, but the project is meant to be replicated at a lower cost. After covering initial research and design expenses, the price would be around $100,000, according to Strizki. However, Marchant Wentworth of the Union of Concerned Scientists believes this is still too expensive for widespread replication. In order for such installations to be widely adopted, they would need to be able to sell extra power to the grid, creating a revenue source that could attract investment, according to Wentworth. Caminiti believes that the hydrogen/solar system costs around $4,000 annually when the $100,000 cost is spread over the expected 25-year lifespan. This is significantly higher than the average $1,500 per year that US homeowners spend on energy, as reported by the federal government. Even when factoring in the average $1,000 per year spent on gasoline per car, the renewable energy option remains more expensive than the grid/gasoline combination. For Strizki and his team, the house represents more than just financial profit. It signifies energy security in a time when the government is aiming to lessen reliance on fossil fuels from the Middle East, and it represents maintaining a lifestyle without releasing harmful greenhouse gases. Strizki, who is 51 years old, views the project as his life's mission. "I have devoted my life to improving the environment," he stated.