The search for hydrogen is far from being over. This new source of energy was uncovered underground and has enough hydrogen potential to power the country for a thousand years. Studies reveal that there is hydrogen gas under reservoirs and rocks, and as per research by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) headed by Geoffrey Ellis, a mere 2% of these hydrogen reserves could offer power for over 200 years. What has been uncovered is geologic hydrogen, which offers a future free from reliance on fossil fuels. Long-term clean energy is within reach just beneath the rocks and reservoirs.
Why is hydrogen so important for a clean energy world?
The focus has thus far fallen on the synthetic hydrogen which humans have been producing through highly energy-intensive processes such as electrolysis, where green hydrogen is formed, or when natural gas goes through a process called steam methane reforming, where blue hydrogen is created as a result.
When a hydrogen reservoir is found, the hydrogen is in its naturalist form, and that means it does not need to be treated in any way. Found underground is approximately 124 billion tons of hydrogen. There is so much hydrogen that we will only require a mere 2% to reach our global net-zero goals.
Tapping into such hydrogen potential could fuel our direction away from fossil fuels, and this hydrogen can be used in all modernized energy systems. Hydrogen is estimated to be 30% of all large industries, including aviation, so the potential hidden beneath is so valuable to us now and to fuel our future.
Uncovering how much hydrogen we can tap into beneath the surface
There is approximately 6,2 trillion tons of hydrogen hidden beneath the Earth’s crust, which is generated through geological reactions. Hydrogen beneath the Earth’s crust is generated when chemical reactions, including water and ion-rich minerals, occur.
What scientists initially believed happened was that hydrogen would seep through tiny cracks to escape Earth’s crust. This is more so because hydrogen is a rather tiny and light molecule. Yet this whole premise was tossed aside when hydrogen pockets were found in Albania and West Africa.
This previous view remains fully challenged as newer research points to the fact that hydrogen accumulates in hydrogen traps. These traps lie so close to the surface that hydrogen can be extracted as well. Newer discoveries have unveiled that there is no longer a need to turn hydrogen black, as we have been doing all along, when it is possible to tap into natural hydrogen stored in hydrogen traps.
With everything sounding too good to be true, it is hard to believe that we can tap into this hydrogen potential without any setbacks.
The setback to more current research
While research is indicative of the fact that there is hydrogen potential, the ability to gain this hydrogen is a challenge for us. This is because, to date, the locations of hydrogen deposits remain unknown. The known hydrogen deposits may lie offshore or far too deep, which means extracting that hydrogen potential economically becomes a struggle.
Some hydrogen deposits are relatively small, and hydrogen extraction remains, yet again, not a possibility. There are hydrogen reserves, but where we struggle is with the extraction process that will not be economically viable and sometimes cannot be justified.
The petroleum geochemist Ellis is working alongside his team at the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) to identify all the geological signs that indicate the likelihood of hydrogen reservoirs in the U.S as of next year. America has already found 110 million kilograms of hydrogen, but yet again, the problem came about with the extraction of it. Nevertheless, other countries, such as Mali and Australia, are still pushing forward the hydrogen discovery agenda.
While discoveries will pave the way forward, encouraging hydrogen extraction would mean new infrastructure and having to deal with intense regulation. Nevertheless, an abundant source of hydrogen lies within reach, and being able to access it means solving our energy problem.
