Earlier this year, two French geoscientists were exploring methane deposits in the Lorraine mining basin with a new kind of specialized probe. They found the methane they were looking for, but they also found something else: a massive reservoir of white hydrogen.

Other white hydrogen reservoirs have been discovered deep in the Earth’s crust in recent years. Geochemist Geoffrey Ellis of the U.S. Geological Survey said that white hydrogen could enable a "second revolution" in U.S. energy markets after the shale boom.

So, what is White Hydrogen?

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical on Earth, but it is usually found in forms that are difficult to use as fuel.

White hydrogen refers to the natural white color of the gas. It also means that the hydrogen was produced naturally by the Earth's crust. 

Other types of hydrogen are made in labs. Green hydrogen is created by the process of electrolysis, in which water is split into hydrogen and oxygen. Gray hydrogen is produced from methane gas. Other types of hydrogen are less eco-friendly fuel sources than white hydrogen because the process of creating hydrogen is energy-intensive and is usually powered by fossil fuels.

White hydrogen isn’t the only type of hydrogen that can be part of a clean energy system. The use of sustainable energy sources like solar and wind to power electrolysis, in which a current of electricity is passed through water, could make green hydrogen production more eco-friendly.

We can imagine a world in which vehicles and homes are using hydrogen gas that is sourced both from the Earth’s crust and from sustainable human-made facilities.

Is Hydrogen feasible as a fuel source?

Currently, energy production systems lack the necessary infrastructure to make the widespread use of hydrogen as fuel feasible.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, hydrogen is currently used in industrial processes as rocket fuel. The operators of natural gas-fueled power plants are exploring whether hydrogen can supplant or replace natural gas.

The agency said that hydrogen-powered vehicles, which require hydrogen fuel cells, could be used for emission-free vehicles. Some manufacturers in Hawaii and California have already developed hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but the lack of hydrogen-fueling stations has limited interest from automakers in developing hydrogen-powered vehicles.

The Long Road Ahead for Hydrogen

Geoffrey Ellis of the U.S. Geological Survey said that it could take some time for hydrogen to be adopted as a fuel source around the world. "There could be a period of decades where there’s a lot of trial and error and false starts."

Researchers and startups are working to turn the white hydrogen dream into reality in the coming years.

A Denver-based white hydrogen startup called Koloma has raised $91M from investors, although they have not said publicly where they are drilling and when they'll be ready for commercialization.

Another Denver-based startup, Natural Hydrogen Energy, completed an exploratory hydrogen borehole in Nebraska in 2019. Geochemist Viacheslav Zgonnik, who founded the company, said that Natural Hydrogen is "very close to the first commercial projects."

Zgonnik said that natural hydrogen is a possible solution to the problems of managing the green energy transition and taking action to slow climate change.

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