Natural hydrogen can exceed world's demand for hundreds of years

White, gold or natural hydrogen holds huge potential as a clean fuel. Owain Jackson, CEO and co- founder of H2Au.co, explains why we need to actively go looking for it

- BY ABDULAZIZ KHATTAK

BOUND by net zero commitments, the vast majority of the world's countries are looking for clean energy to displace fossil fuels from their energy mix.

Much of the focus is on renewable electricity, but for energy-intensive sectors and those that are hard to decarbonise, hydrogen is the clear alternative.

Much attention has been focused on the so-called rainbow. For instance, green hydrogen can be commercially manufactured through electrolysis or plasmolysis (provided the process is powered by renewable energy); whereas blue, turquoise and grey hydrogen can be synthesised from a range of fossil fuels.

There's even pink hydrogen, generated using nuclear-powered electrolysis.

Despite this bewildering range of manufactured hydrogen sources and processes, it's doubtful that any single option could achieve sufficient volumes or economics to match growing hydrogen hype.

AN ABUNDANT ENERGY SOURCE

In recent years, however, an alternative source of hydrogen has reemerged that could exceed the world’s demand - potentially for hundreds of years.

Natural geologic hydrogen, also known as white or gold, is exactly that: Pockets of the gas created within certain rock formations, theoretically just waiting to be extracted and used.

Geologic hydrogen is produced naturally within the earth as the result of several processes, but as much of 80 per cent of it is thought to be the result of serpentinisation.

Here, water reacts with rocks rich in iron and magnesium in the earth’s crust, or on the ocean floor.

These reserves of gas can be trapped by impermeable layers, accumulating into significant volumes over time.

As a primary, rather than manufactured energy source, natural hydrogen is abundant, low cost, low carbon and sustainable.

We've long known of this resource. One hundred years ago. Australian drillers discovered significant amounts of hydrogen at the Ramsey and American Beach wells.