Natural hydrogen: the oil of the 21st century?

Asterès carries out an inventory of knowledge on the subject and analyzes the potential economic impacts of such a revolution:

• Natural hydrogen would be a new source of primary energy, in the same way as natural gas, oil, or coal, with the difference that it would be decarbonized and renewable – since the Earth continually produces it via chemical processes which take place in the basements. According to initial models, natural hydrogen could be produced in very large quantities, enough to meet humanity's needs for thousands of years.
• The accessibility of the resource remains the major unknown today. If natural hydrogen is accessible under the same conditions as natural gas, that is to say at reasonable depths and at fairly concentrated geographical points, then natural hydrogen could prove to be the primary energy source. the most competitive. But to date, the share of deposits accessible under these conditions is not known. Exploration and exploitation is currently in its infancy: only a pilot project currently produces hydrogen sustainably and some deep drilling has been carried out in the United States.

To understand the potential impact of such a revolution in the energy sector, Asterès has imagined three prospective scenarios, depending on the future availability of natural hydrogen at a competitive price:

• In the first scenario, natural hydrogen replaces green hydrogen, that is to say, a primary energy replaces an energy vector. The cost of hydrogen-based uses would decrease with the drop in the cost of fuel. In addition, electricity would be released since the electrolyzers would no longer consume it – they would have become, in this scenario, obsolete. The electricity released could be released or used for other uses.
• In the second scenario, natural hydrogen replaces other primary energy sources (mainly solar, wind and nuclear). Hydrogen would be used to produce low-cost electricity and would also have the advantage of being controllable (unlike renewable energy) and storable (unlike nuclear power). The cost of electricity would be reduced. In addition, hydrogen could directly replace electricity, for residential heating for example.
• In the third scenario, natural hydrogen expands the energy supply. This is the most optimistic scenario. Activities previously considered too energy-intensive could be considered, such as the massive capture of carbon in the atmosphere, the desalination of seawater or even the exploitation of asteroids.

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Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.