We report on the performance, safety, and maintenance issues of a photovoltaic (PV) power plant which uses hydrogen energy storage and fuel cell regenerative technology. The facility, located at the Humboldt State University (HSU) Telonicher Marine Laboratory, has operated intermittently since June 1991, and in August 1993 went into full-time, automatic operation. After more than 3900 hours, the system has an excellent safety and performance record with an overall electrolyzer efficiency of 76.7%, a PV efficiency of 8.1%, and a hydrogen production efficiency of 6.2%. (C) 1997 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. All rights reserved.