Electricity unplugged

COSTA MESA ? The house of the future exists in a little glass case in the Orange County Building, tucked in-between the hypnotist and the petting zoo.

At the front of a spacious, air-conditioned room at the Orange County Fair, a model of a suburban home demonstrates how electricity may work in a few decades ? through a solar panel on the roof. Next to it is a large machine showing how to convert natural gas into energy, along with a video presentation and a lot of signs written in Japanese.

Those are leftovers from last year’s World’s Fair, where UC Irvine’s fuel cell project counted among only five American exhibits. Now, the display has made its debut showing back home ? and according to its monitors, it’s even better.

“It was exciting to be in the World’s Fair, but in some ways, it’s even more exciting to be in the Orange County Fair,” said Kathy Haq, communications director for UCI’s National Fuel Cell Research Center. “We have a little more space and more signage that help people understand it more easily.”

The fuel cell exhibit, which grew out of a project that UCI graduate student Jim MacLay began three years ago, was a breakthrough for the research center. In 2004, the committee for the U.S. Pavilion at the World’s Fair, backed by the State Department, approached UCI about producing a display for the international event. The theme for last year’s World’s Fair was “Nature’s Wisdom.”

From March to September last year, according to Haq, 2 million people visited the exhibit in Aichi, Japan. The location may be smaller this time, but the exhibit space is actually larger, and there are new additions as well. The video, which was silent in Japan, now has sound, while the stationary fuel cell model has a clear glass side so viewers can see the machinery that turns natural gas into electricity.

Several of the UCI students who worked on the project have stopped by the fair on weekends to answer questions about the technology.

“You don’t always get to interact with people and find out what they think,” said Tom Pine, who is pursuing a doctorate at UCI. “You talk with other scientists, but talking with the public isn’t often what you get to do.”

Ruth Fallon, a Laguna Niguel resident who attended the exhibit on Tuesday with her daughter, said she could envision living in a fuel-powered home “as long as there’s storage so on non-sunny days, you’d have all the power you needed ? especially with the price of all the utilities going up.”

FAIR ATTENDANCE

Tuesday’s crowd as of 6 p.m.: 23,875

Sunday’s crowd: 52,649

TODAY’S BEST BET

The power trio Lifehouse ? whom one critic labeled “the smoothest ride on alternative radio” ? will rock the Pacific Amphitheatre tonight at 7 p.m. Joining them on the bill is Teddy Geiger, who recently made waves on VH1 and released his acclaimed debut album ? and who will turn 18 this September.dpt-ocfair-logo-BPhotoInfoOL1T2IMD20060719j207elncCredit: Caption: (LA) dpt.19-fair-CPhotoInfoOL1T2MC720060719j2mjktncCredit: DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Kathy Haq talks about the UCI fuel cell exhibit on display at O.C. Fair. It is the first time it has been shown in United States.