Arecent study published in Science Advances has revealed the presence of approximately 6.2 trillion tons of hydrogen gas trapped in underground reservoirs and rocks. This quantity, estimated to be 26 times the volume of known oil reserves, could meet global energy demands for nearly 200 years. However, the exact locations of these hydrogen reserves remain unknown, posing a challenge to their exploitation.
Hydrogen as a Potential Fuel of the Future
Hydrogen is being considered a key alternative to fossil fuels due to its abundance and ability to serve as a clean energy source. Governments worldwide are exploring its potential to replace oil and gas in various sectors. According to the study, hydrogen could account for 30% of energy supply in some sectors by 2050, with global demand projected to increase fivefold to approximately 500 million tons annually.
The researchers emphasized that recovering just 2% of the estimated hydrogen resources could satisfy the entire global demand for nearly two centuries. “The global demand for hydrogen is projected to reach approximately 500 Mt year-1 by 2050, and recovery of just 2% of the estimated most probable in-place resource would meet the entire projected global hydrogen demand for nearly 200 years,” the study highlighted.
Challenging Previous Assumptions
The study challenges earlier beliefs that hydrogen, being a small molecule, would escape through rock pores and cracks, making its accumulation underground unlikely. Evidence from recent discoveries in Albania and West Africa has demonstrated that significant underground hydrogen reservoirs can exist.
Geoffrey Ellis, a petroleum geochemist at the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the study’s lead author, expressed surprise at the scale of the findings. “I was surprised that the results were larger than I thought going in. The takeaway is that there is a lot down there,” Ellis said, as quoted by LiveScience.
Advantages of Natural Hydrogen
Ellis highlighted that extracting natural hydrogen offers unique benefits. Unlike green or blue hydrogen, which require energy-intensive production and storage, natural hydrogen remains secure in underground reservoirs until needed. “We don’t have to worry about storage, which is something that with the blue hydrogen or green hydrogen you do — you want to make it when electricity is cheap and then you have to store it somewhere,” Ellis explained.
Challenges Ahead
Despite the promising findings, significant hurdles remain. The primary challenge is to develop economically viable methods for extracting hydrogen and making the venture attractive to investors. Advancing technologies and infrastructure will be crucial to harnessing this untapped energy resource efficiently.
This discovery marks a significant step toward reducing dependence on fossil fuels, but its practical implementation will require global efforts and sustained investment.
