* Natural hydrogen, formed through geological reactions within the Earth's crust, presents a largely untapped, carbon-neutral energy resource that costs nothing to produce, though extraction incurs costs.
• Researchers are employing methods similar to oil and gas exploration to locate natural hydrogen, focusing on three main geological formations: focused seepage, coal beds, and reservoir-trap-seal systems, with the latter being the most promising for commercial production due to their ability to concentrate large volumes.
• While the U.S. Geological Survey estimates over 5 trillion metric tons of geological hydrogen exist globally, only a small, technically and economically recoverable fraction is available, though even 2% of this total could meet projected demand for centuries.
• The Earth naturally produces between 15 million and 31 million metric tons of natural hydrogen annually, but this is less than 1% of the projected demand for 2050, indicating it will likely complement rather than replace other energy sources.
• Currently, only one natural hydrogen field in Mali commercially produces tens of tons per year, but the number of exploring companies has rapidly increased from around 10 in 2020 to approximately 40 by the end of 2023.
• Transforming geological hydrogen into a commercial energy source faces scientific and technical challenges, including the difficulty of detecting and measuring its small, reactive molecules underground and the cost of separating it from other gases if found in low concentrations.
• The economic promise of natural hydrogen lies in potentially lower extraction costs compared to traditional hydrogen generation methods, but large, high-quality accumulations must be discovered to serve commercial demand, requiring careful scientific exploration rather than a 'gold rush' approach.
Posted by technocraticnihilist
2 Comments
Isn’t leakage a huge problem with hydrogen due to the size of the atoms?
I wonder what the environmental effects are of pumping hydrogen into the atmosphere?