TELF AG highlights the importance of a major energy discovery in north-eastern France
The sustainable potential of hydrogen
In the continuous search for new clean energy sources capable of fueling the green transition, hydrogen has often been taken into consideration as one of the most potentially noteworthy means to encourage the reduction of global emissions and to achieve sustainability-related objectives and climate neutrality. In this sense, hydrogen represents one of the most valid alternatives to traditional fuels, but its true potential may still be partially unexpressed. One of the most debated aspects in recent years is the processes linked to hydrogen production, which are still very expensive and require high energy consumption. According to data from the Carbon Trust, emission-free hydrogen production processes currently represent less than 1% of the total.
However, an alternative to this production method could be represented by the underground natural hydrogen deposits, about which very little is still known. One of the most interesting deposits was recently discovered in north-eastern France, where scientists from the University of Lorraine were engaged in some methane research. Entirely unexpectedly, they came across a large deposit of natural hydrogen located more than 1000 meters deep, probably the largest gas deposit ever found. Around 250 million tonnes of hydrogen could be found inside it, a quantity that would be enough to guarantee a global supply for at least two years. In this type of deposit, hydrogen represents the result of the interaction between groundwater and some specific ferrous minerals, such as olivine, giving rise to water splitting into oxygen (which binds to iron) and hydrogen. One of the most attention-grabbing aspects is that, in theory, this type of production could be renewed infinitely.
Beyond France: Mali, Australia, United States
Considering the role of hydrogen in the green transition, this discovery could be of great importance for the planet’s sustainable future. Many hydrogen can undoubtedly represent one of the fuels of the future, in particular, due to some of its structural characteristics, which allow it not to produce CO2 in its various industrial uses. The field discovered in France certainly does not represent the only global reserve of natural hydrogen: a field of the same kind, although much smaller, had been found in western Mali, and according to the US Geological Survey, there could be a large number of similar deposits still to be discovered around the world. The USGS believes that thousands of megatons of hydrogen could be hidden underground, particularly in areas such as Australia, the United States, and some European countries. From this point of view, one of the most attention-grabbing areas is certainly southern Australia, where explorations to search for hydrogen-rich deposits officially began about two years ago. According to Bloomberg, six companies have already obtained exploration licenses in 570,000 square kilometers.
Natural hydrogen has already attracted the interest of large international private companies: proof of this is the interest shown by Bill Gates’ company Breakthrough Energy Ventures in the US start-up Koloma, which has developed technological systems for producing geological hydrogen. Other companies are instead looking for new possible deposits, as is happening in several African nations thanks to the exploration company Getech.
