Is natural hydrogen the energy source of the future?

• Hydrogen is primarily produced from natural gas, a process that is energy-intensive and polluting.

• Green hydrogen made with renewable electricity is expensive and requires large amounts of wind and solar power.

• Natural hydrogen occurs as a free gas in geology, produced by processes such as serpentinisation, radiolysis of water by radioactive rocks, and from organic matter at depth.

Historical Background of Hydrogen Extraction

• Hydrogen was first discovered in 1987 in Bourakébougou, Mali, after a blaze in a drilling well.

• The presence of naturally occurring hydrogen has been known for decades, with the discovery of its presence in gas seeps, volcanic outgassing, and mines.

• The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) model revealed that there could be sufficient natural hydrogen to supply the growing world demand for thousands of years.

Current Natural Hydrogen Reserves

• The total size of worldwide natural hydrogen reserves is still poorly known due to a lack of concentrated exploration.

• Recent discoveries and current research indicate considerable potential.

• In the Indian context, natural hydrogen potential is mostly untapped but found to be promising due to the existence of favourable geological structures.

• Hundreds of hydrogen seeps have been catalogued globally in various countries, including Australia, the U.S., Spain, France, Albania, Colombia, South Korea, and Canada.

Industry Response to Natural Hydrogen

• The promise of so much renewable fuel sitting undiscovered beneath the surface has sparked a gold rush.

• By the end of 2023, 40 companies, including start-ups, were searching for deposits of natural hydrogen around the world.

• Producers claim they can extract the fuel for about $1/kg, much lower than the production cost for green or natural gas-based hydrogen.