Current perspectives on natural hydrogen: a synopsisGeological...

Current perspectives on natural hydrogen: a synopsis

Geological Survey

Energy Resources Division, Department for Energy and Mining

[email protected]

As the world transitions to a low emissions future, the importance of molecular hydrogen (hereafter ‘hydrogen’) as a key clean energy resource is increasingly being recognised. Hydrogen provides a fungible, flexible energy solution that can be applied to a broad range of industrial and transportation uses in partnership with broadscale electrification, offering a viable replacement for gas, petroleum and diesel fuels (Körner et al. 2015).

Although hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, it is highly reactive and has generally been considered to be unavailable in significant volumes as a free gas in nature. It can be produced by a range of natural processes in the subsurface however, and there are historical records of drillholes and natural geological features producing high fluxes of hydrogen.

Is it plausible then that additional supply could be found in natural subsurface accumulations of hydrogen?

Many think so. Increasing attention is being given to how natural hydrogen might be generated and stored geologically in accessible volumes, and what exploration techniques could be best applied to locate and exploit such accumulations.

https://www.energymining.sa.gov.au/industry/geological-survey/mesa-journal/previous-feature-articles/current-perspectives-on-natural-hydrogen-a-synopsis