In Colorado, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has initiated a groundbreaking project in collaboration with GKN Hydrogen and SoCalGas to validate a unique metal hydride system for hydrogen storage. This metal hydride technology allows hydrogen to be stored in a solid form, overcoming the challenges of high pressures or low temperatures typically associated with gaseous hydrogen storage. The project, known as 'High Efficacy Validation of Hydride Mega Tanks at the ARIES Laboratory' (HEVHY METAL), is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and SoCalGas. The metal hydride system, commissioned at NREL's Flatirons Campus as part of the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform, integrates renewable energy assets like wind and solar with hydrogen production and storage facilities. This innovative approach aims to demonstrate the potential of metal hydride technology in a megawatt-scale hydrogen infrastructure. GKN Hydrogen's involvement emphasizes the importance of exploring new storage mediums for hydrogen, highlighting the benefits of metal hydrides in terms of safety, efficiency, and integration in large-scale energy systems. The project team, led by NREL's Katherine Hurst, is focused on accelerating the deployment of renewable energy technologies and addressing the challenges of modern energy systems. The ARIES platform provides a realistic environment for energy system integration research, allowing for the demonstration of clean energy deployment scenarios. With a focus on hydrogen production, storage, and utilization, the project showcases the potential of metal hydrides to store up to 500 kg of hydrogen and generate power using fuel cells. The project team is actively engaging with stakeholders from various industries to explore commercial applications beyond fuel cells, aiming to design use-case experiments for a megawatt-scale microgrid level. By tuning the setup for commercial demonstration use cases, the project is paving the way for the widespread adoption of metal hydride systems in the evolving landscape of hydrogen technology.