Drilling for hydrogen

Geological resources may be able to provide billions—or even trillions—of metric tons of clean hydrogen, according to estimates from US government researchers. By tapping into existing hydrogen accumulations and stimulating underground rocks to make more of the electron-rich gas, a new crop of energy entrepreneurs think they can put low-carbon hydrogen on the market for as little as $1 per kilogram. The concept is proven at just one site today. But if it works as well as its advocates and investors say, it could be a major win in the fight against climate change. Hydrogen is a popular molecule right now. Billions of dollars are flowing from investors and governments into projects to make more hydrogen and use it to decarbonize both industry and transportation. But what’s often lost in the discussion is that hydrogen is really an energy transfer medium, not an energy source. The hydrogen available today is