Imagine if, in 2024, we faced another gold rush in the United States. This is precisely what experts are announcing with the discovery of a new type of energy. It is under our soil, and we are talking about massive quantities reaching trillions of tons. The best thing about it? It’s better than oil, it’s more sought after, and it’s completely clean and renewable.
New gold rush in the United States: the energy everyone is looking for
On the verge of a scenario that resembles a new gold rush, not a precious metal is the sought-after thing, rather it’s the hydrogen gas contained beneath the Earth surface; in the geological structures located all over the planet. This “geologic hydrogen” is a huge reserve of energy that is laid waste by not being tapped into.
Different from the finite petroleum products that rule today’s energy generation, carbon-less hydrogen found underground has an infinite fuel value that is replenishable without any production of greenhouse gas. It is introducing a new route for overhauling the industry completely driven by clean and safe resources.
This can go down as a horizontal revolution in the energy sector, on the same level with oil boom of the past century. Rather the new prospect of mining the crypto becomes the expression of new gold rush but can this new gold rush turn into the dream come true?
Golden hydrogen, the new energy that could revolutionize the industry?
Geological hydrogen, known as hydrogen gas which is the part of earth crust, can be called screen natural hydrogen. Heat water that is found in the rocks deep inside Earth causes this chemical reaction to occur, known as serpentinization.
The water starts seeping into the rocks through the fissures ard cracks, and it finally reacts with minerals like olivine and pyroxene. This said chemical reaction releasing hydrogen gas shall be trapped in the rook formations. In the production of hydrogen through the splitting of water, geothermal hydrogen has some advantages.
It is present everywhere in the earth’s crust as micro-sized fragments. Is it really responsible for meeting the increasing demand? Scientists have been aware of it existence for a long time and only just started that they should look for ways of turning it into the energy resource.
The potential of geologic hydrogen: massive, renewable and powerful
Geologic hydrogen is thought to exist in absolutely massive quantities, with early estimates suggesting trillions of tons may be accessible in the continental United States alone. While actual extraction rates remain to be seen, the sheer volume has many experts incredibly optimistic about the potential scale.
Some key facts about the possible supply:
- Conservative early estimates point to over 3 trillion tons accessible in the U.S., and likely much more based on ongoing surveys.
- The U.S. Department of Energy pegs the amount at a staggering 500 trillion tons when including less concentrated deposits.
- Even extracting a tiny fraction of 1% of these reserves each year would equate to far more energy potential than the nation’s needs.
- The resource is thought to exist across much of the continental crust, not only in the U.S. but worldwide. Vast untapped reserves likely sit under many countries.
The staggering estimated totals would easily make geologic hydrogen the largest energy resource on the planet, far surpassing all other reserves. This enormous potential supply completely changes the equation on the world’s energy future.
As you can see, the simple fact of decarbonizing our economy with hydrogen is well worth a new gold rush in the United States, even in the middle of 2024. However, projects are still moving somewhat slowly, although we have been able to help other countries extract this same energy. Among them, one as far away as Uzbekistan, while the European Union is pursuing the same goal.