Vast underground hydrogen reserves promise a clean energy future
Vast amounts of hydrogen lie beneath the Earth's surface. Scientists have discovered that only a fraction would be enough to power the Earth for the next 200 years. This groundbreaking discovery could revolutionize energy production and replace coal, oil, or natural gas.
Scientists once thought hydrogen could not accumulate underground, but recent findings suggest this assumption was incorrect. Researchers estimate that trillions of tonnes of hydrogen gas may be trapped in rocks and reservoirs beneath the Earth's surface, though the exact locations remain uncertain. Their latest research has been published in the journal Science Advances.
Hydrogen as a source of energy could replace coal, oil, and gas
Hydrogen is a source of clean energy that can power vehicles, industrial processes, and electricity. Until now, it was thought that hydrogen in the natural environment could not accumulate significantly because, as a small molecule, it evaporates easily. Recent discoveries, including in West Africa and a chrome mine in Albania, prove hydrogen can accumulate in significant quantities.
New research indicates that the planet holds approximately 6.2 trillion tonnes of hydrogen in rocks and underground reservoirs. That's about 26 times more than the amount of oil in the ground (around 218 billion tonnes). However, where these hydrogen reserves are remains undiscovered for now.
Petroleum geochemist: energy from hydrogen is twice as much
Geoffrey Ellis, a petroleum geochemist at the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the lead author of the new study emphasizes that even just a fraction of this amount could meet our energy needs for the upcoming 200 years and, importantly, take over the role of fossil fuels (coal, oil, or natural gas). It is an emission-free and clean energy source. Only 2 percent of the hydrogen resources found in the study, corresponding to 123 billion tonnes of gas, "would supply all the hydrogen we need to get to net-zero [carbon] for a couple hundred years," – conveyed Geoffrey Ellis in the article. As he explains, the energy released by this amount of hydrogen is about twice as much as the energy stored in all known natural gas reserves on Earth.
According to scientists, most hydrogen reserves are likely too deep or too far from the shore to be reached, and some reserves are probably too small to extract economically. However, despite these limitations, the results indicate enough hydrogen to meet everyone's needs. Importantly, natural hydrogen reserves are stable in their locations, so they do not require additional storage costs and further processing.
Demand for new energy to increase several-fold by 2050
It is projected that hydrogen will account for up to 30 percent of future energy supplies in certain sectors, and global demand is expected to increase fivefold by 2050. How can it be used? The gas is artificially produced through water electrolysis, in which water molecules are split by electric current. When renewable energy is used, the product is called "green hydrogen," and when fossil fuels are used, it is known as "blue hydrogen." According to scientists, a precise determination of hydrogen deposits in the US may appear in the coming months.
