WSJ: Underground Hydrogen Could Supercharge Green Energy. First, Scientists Have to Find It
June 05, 2023 Many thought leaders in sustainable practices believe hydrogen will play an essential role in how we power our cities and economies in the future. Current technology and innovation for hydrogen capture requires energy intensive industrial methods that minimize its sustainable impact. However, there has been a growing interest in a new way to capture hydrogen that does not involve the traditional industrial methods. Geologic hydrogen is a naturally formed alternative that could provide an opportunity to greatly increase our hydrogen capacity. Even though the alternative is promising, firms have run into problems trying to sequester the new found source. First, it is incredibly hard to locate and once located, challenging to transport. As of right now, there is a lot of uncertainty with the geologic hydrogen extraction process. This will have to change in order to meet our climate goals. In order for society to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, low-emission hydrogen production will need to be around 180 million metric tons by 2030. Currently it stands at just over 90 million tons. It will be worth monitoring how the extraction of geologic hydrogen progresses.