There is nearly 5 mn tons of gold hydrogen in underground reservoirs around the world

There is up to 5 mn tons of naturally occurring hydrogen — dubbed gold hydrogen — located in underground reservoirs around the world, the Financial Times reports, citing an unpublished study by the US Geological Survey (USGS). While most of the reserves are deemed inaccessible, “a few percent recovery would still supply all projected demand — 500mn tonnes a year — for hundreds of years,” Petroleum geochemist Geoffrey Ellis said at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting.

Gold hydrogen vs white hydrogen: Both gold and white hydrogen are naturally occurring and can be classified as geological hydrogen. White hydrogen occurs in reserves underground, while gold hydrogen is specifically produced in depleted oil wells by microbial activities.

Gold beats blue and green: Gold hydrogen is a more viable option than other types when it comes to cost and environmental impact and “a gold rush for gold hydrogen” will soon be underway, Research Assistant Professor Mengli Zhang tells the FT. Other forms of hydrogen — such as blue or green — are made through electrolysis or natural gas, whereas gold hydrogen does not require water and takes up little energy and land. It is also more stable than other types of hydrogen.

Scientists are working on how we can tap into the renewable source: Exploration and production of gold hydrogen sources may be able to utilize similar practices to petroleum exploration, according to research by the USGS. Researchers have also suggested tapping into rocks that generate hydrogen or possibly stimulating it by injecting water into iron-rich rocks. Uncertainty on how to tap into the source has been preventing it from being used at large scales until now.

And investors are interested: US-based geological hydrogen startup Koloma has already secured USD 91 mn from Bill Gates-backed accelerator Breakthrough Energy Ventures, according to FT. The US Department of Energy also recently announced that it is providing USD 20 mn in funding for geological hydrogen projects.

REMEMBER- Regional players are already exploring their gold hydrogen potential: UK geotechnical firm Eden GeoPower received a grant from the US Department of Energy to conduct studies on Oman’s geologic hydrogen potential last week. The firm will study ways to increase geological hydrogen production by applying its own electric reservoir simulation techniques, with tests conducted on peridotite rock samples from Oman’s Semail Ophiolite geological formation.