Imagine taking a hot shower, brewing coffee and frying an egg using nothing but energy from the sun. By the year 2012, energy-conscious homebuyers may be able to do just that. If Dr. Anjaneyulu Krothapalli has his way, home seekers will be able to afford and buy a home completely run by solar-power and hydrogen.

Anjaneyulu Krothapalli, a Don Fuqua Eminent Scholar Chair of Engineering, is the director of the Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering Center (SESEC). He is leading a project that once again puts Florida State University on the cutting-edge of extraordinary technology. The Florida A&M University–Florida State University College of Engineering recently broke ground for an energy efficient building called OGZEB, an acronym for Off-Grid Zero Emissions Building. OGZEB, the first building of its kind in the southeastern United States and one out of only 14 in the entire country, will be solar-powered during daytime hours and run on hydrogen at night. Once complete, OGZEB will be an 800-square foot facility, including living space and an office, and will be constructed entirely out of green and recyclable materials, produce zero greenhouse-gas emissions and feature low-energy LED lighting and other innovations.