The titans of black gold are now looking elsewhere than at this source of energy, which is gradually reaching exhaustion. Their new conquest? Geological hydrogen.
Despite the fact that our beautiful planet is slowly warming up, the IPCC’s observation about global oil consumption is very clear: we are using more and more of it. According to their most recent estimates, peak consumption will be reached in 2028. Historically, our civilization is dependent on fossil fuels. However, these are obviously far from unlimited. This is why oil industries are already thinking about an alternative energy: hydrogen, the most abundant chemical element in the entire universe. Some countries, like China for example, are already far ahead in the field.
The promise of energy in disproportionate quantities
The potential of geological hydrogen lies mainly in the fact that it is present on Earth in very large quantities. It is often presented as an “inexhaustible” source of energy: this is true if its extraction is done in a sustainable and ecological manner and if the geological processes which produce it are maintained continuously.
Doug Wicks works at ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, a public agency responsible for supporting research in the field of renewable energy) in the USA. He thus estimates that 150 trillion t3 of hydrogen are potentially exploitable on our planet, knowing that a billion t3 of these could power the entire United States for a year.
To illustrate the renewable potential of hydrogen, Luke Velterop, Director of Operations at HyTerra explains: “ Imagine the potential of an underground factory, powered by nature itself and capable of providing a renewable supply of clean energy “. This white gold, as it is now nicknamed, is particularly present in certain areas, such as tectonic rifts. It is already targeted by drilling operations in the United States, Europe and Australia.
Technical challenges that meet the challenge
Extracting oil and extracting hydrogen are two different processes. For the first, it involves pumping hydrocarbons in viscous form from underground reserves. For hydrogen, it will be necessary to adopt new strategies to access reserves, because it is the product of chemical reactions which take place continuously. It can thus be disseminated more widely, which implies another form of expertise. However, both require drilling, and this is a process we have mastered for a long time.
Geoff Ellis is a geochemist for the USGS’s Energy Resources Program. He highlights the fact that hydrogen, however, remains more complicated to locate: “ There is nothing surprising in the fact that hydrogen has gone unnoticed until now: it is a colorless and odorless gas. It is consumed very quickly by microbes beneath the Earth’s surface as soon as it begins to escape. Very significant reserves may be located under our feet. Now, we must determine the precise location of these accumulations in order to then be able to drill and access these stocks. “. The race for localization is therefore on!
The energy issues hidden behind geological hydrogen are colossal: it could be one of the exit doors through which we could transit when the oil has disappeared. Geoff Ellis believes that effective exploitation of this element could satisfy “ all global demand, of around 500 million tonnes per year, over hundreds of years “. The fields of aviation and stationary energy generation could greatly benefit from this. Start-ups like Naturel Hydrogen Energy or HyTerra are already on the move and already have drilling projects underway. Enough to attract the attention of the oil giants, certainly.
Source : Forbes
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