Global warming is an implacable threat that, through the search for new fuels and unprecedented energy sources, we are beginning to confront – how fast we move is another question. In doing so, we will face threats such as the greatest crisis of the 21st century.
The world is in a difficult situation when it comes to fuels. Pollution has led to difficult situations for the planet to manage. In this context, we have just found a reservoir of energy for millennia (as you read).
However, its opening could accelerate climate change instead of enriching our energy mix with a clean and sustainable source. Why do we say this? The important thing is not only what we are looking for, but also how we access it and, above all, how we extract it.
We have fuel that would last for centuries – you hear about it every day.
The fuel we are talking about is one that we hear about every day, particularly in the automotive sector: hydrogen. Reserves of hydrogen have been discovered that could power all civilization for centuries.
A report from the US Geological Survey says there is enough natural hydrogen trapped underground to meet demand for hundreds of years.
Geoffrey Ellis of the U.S. Geological Survey told a recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver that there are up to 5.5 trillion tons of hydrogen in deposits underground all over the world.
Hydrogen is an element that is on the list of big promises to fight the energy crisis and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In this context, we learned a few months ago that the Bulqizë chromite mine, in Albania, is capable of producing more than 200 tonnes of hydrogen per year.
The exploitation of natural hydrogen (geological hydrogen or golden hydrogen) may represent the cleanest and most economical way to obtain it.
Global warming remains a threat
Ellis has been working on a study for a long time that he has not yet published. He details the surprising results he has just seen, while emphasizing that it may not be easy to access this gas. “Most hydrogen will probably be inaccessible,” he told the Financial Times.
“But a small percentage of recovery would still meet the projected demand (500 million tonnes per year) for hundreds of years,” he added.
According to him, the hydrogen deposits are exceptional and may have been generated by the contact of certain iron-rich materials with groundwater. However, in some cases hydrogen is not in its purest form.
In this case, it may be accompanied by other gases, such as methane, and must be separated. Their extraction releases methane into the atmosphere, which is the “dark” part of the story. Methane is a greenhouse gas 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a two-decade cycle.
Despite this, the scientist says it could be more environmentally friendly than green hydrogen itself.
The problem: poor extraction could accelerate climate change.
In reality, this hydrogen reservoir is located in the bowels of the Earth. What can we do to access it? Previous explorations of similar deposits were carried out in two very different ways:
- With huge drilling platforms that end up generating polluting emissions into the atmosphere.
- With heavy machinery, but powered by renewable fuels (hydrogen or electricity).
As for the processing plant – which you will remember we have already talked about – the only sustainable solution is to run it using renewable energy. Only then will we talk about green, blue or gold hydrogen, and not fuchsia or brown hydrogen, which are not suitable at all.
This is why, although this fuel has an abundant supply, the possible acceleration of global warming puts off some experts. While the industry defines the extent of the use of hydrogen, information on the different types of hydrogen available continues to emerge.