Is ‘Hidden Hydrogen’ The Key To A Sustainable Future?

A paper published this week claims that sources of hydrogen concealed within the Earth’s crust could be enough to supply our power needs for the next 170,000 years.

Researchers from several universities including Oxford, Durham and Toronto have worked together on the paper which highlights the potential presence of hidden ‘hydrogen systems’ across the world. These pockets of hydrogen have built up naturally within the Earth’s crust over billions of years.

The paper goes on to state that this hydrogen could potentially be tapped into in the same way currently used to collect helium. However, the researchers also highlight how difficult the extraction process may be. Chris Ballentine of Oxford University said “Get any one of the ingredients, amounts, timing, or temperature wrong and you will be disappointed.”

Global demand for hydrogen is expected to hit 540 tons by 2050 and this must be produced without co2 emissions to prevent further global warming. This new discovery may go some way to hitting this target but these sources are unlikely to produce the vast quantities required by themselves; we will still require alternative means of producing green hydrogen, using renewable energy sources.

Learn more about how hydrogen is currently being used for the global energy transition with the Institute’s Hydrogen Energy Consultant Expert Certificate. Combining 3 accredited courses from a leading expert in the hydrogen sector, this pathway provides the knowledge required to excel in the industry.

Sources:
University of Oxford
abc News