Accelerating the Energy Transition with Geologic Hydrogen & Complementary Technologies:
Leveraging AI, Drilling Technologies, Extraction, Renewable Energy, Energy Storage to Produce Reliable Electricity and Renewable Fuels

PDF Version of Slideshow to access links in the video: Accelerating the Energy Transition with Geologic Hydrogen & Complementary Technologies.

The presentation video shown above briefly outlines a way to accelerate the global energy transition by combining geologic hydrogen with complementary technologies that can be implemented on a large-scale in many countries in the world. It begins with a graph showing the rising atmospheric CO2 levels from this graph of the Monthly Average CO2 level at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii.  Since the amount of CO2 emissions are continuing to increase, it appears that total energy demand is rising faster than renewable energy generation.  As a result, much greater climate action is required, which is summed up by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, who said, “Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once”.  This includes extracting and utilizing geologic hydrogen on a very large-scale.

1) Introduction:

Recently, a US government agency prepared a major report about a relatively new clean energy resource that can be utilized on a very large scale.  This clean energy resource is extracted directly from the earth and has been given multiple names, including geologic, natural, white and gold hydrogen.  This agency is called the US Geological Survey and has estimated that the earth holds over five trillion tonnes of this type of hydrogen in underground pockets, which is an extremely large amount.  They also indicated that a few percent recovery of this amount would still supply all the projected demand for hundreds of years. 

There is already a commercial site producing geologic hydrogen near Bourakébougou, Mali.  It started production in 2014. Geologists have reported that they have found or are soon expecting to find geologic hydrogen reserves in various locations, including Canada, the US, Australia, France, Albania, and Spain.  As a result, geologists are predicting a natural hydrogen Gold Rush!

The progress in extracting hydrogen directly from the Earth is significant. For example, the Managing Director of Gold Hydrogen Limited, Neil McDonald, indicated that his company found more than one billion kilograms of hydrogen and expects they can extract a substantial amount of hydrogen from the earth at AUD$1 per kilogram (US$0.66/kg), which appears to be less than one-quarter of the cost of making hydrogen from renewable energy. To view his presentation, visit: Gold Hydrogen at the Noosa Mining Investment Conference in Australia – Jul 19, 2024.

Other exploration companies in the U.S. and Canada are also working on geologic hydrogen. One of these companies, Denver-based Koloma, is backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures and the Vancouver clean-tech venture capital firm Evok Innovations. Koloma recently raised $330 million in a Series B raise in 2024.

2) To accelerate the process of finding Geologic Hydrogen, artificial intelligence (AI) services can be used to review available data relating to land resources around the world, including data from satellites, to determine an initial set of locations that would then be reviewed further by experts to determine the best locations for exploration.  When doing so, these services can analyze available data for many parameters including the following:

• Best geological formations.
• Proximity to a potential electrical grid connection.
• Proximity to markets including population centres.
• Access to adequate roads to transport equipment, supplies and hydrogen.
• Data available from surveys including gravity, magnetic, seismic & geochemistry.

2b) Shown below is an example of a visualization of geological data that was generated by Rockworks 2022 Software from Rockware.com:

Although this example is showing the visualization of a petroleum reservoir, this type of software is very useful for experts who are seeking to identify the best locations for Geologic Hydrogen.

3) Once the best areas for Geologic Hydrogen are identified via an AI-based study, an aerial survey can be conducted to accurately identify hydrogen that is seeping out of the ground.  For example, Xcalibur Smart Mapping, in collaboration with Curtin University, has reached a breakthrough in Aerial Natural Hydrogen Detection with Raman LiDAR Technology.  This Raman LiDAR (Laser Light Detection and Ranging) can detect hydrogen at a distance.  Combining this technology with a small airplane or drone that can automatically travel over an area in a precise pattern enables a low-cost way to find hydrogen that is seeping out of the ground.  Once this hydrogen resource has been identified, more onsite analysis is completed and if a substantial amount of hydrogen is estimated to be available at this location, then a drilling-based exploration process can be implemented.

4) There are a considerable number of organizations and events focused on Geologic Hydrogen.  Given below are some examples:

• Natural Hydrogen Association of Australia’s Conference from Oct. 29 to 31, 2024 in Adelaide Hills.
• 2025 North American Helium and Hydrogen Conference on April 9 & 10, 2025 by The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists.
• Energy Group: Natural Hydrogen – Understanding the Geoscience, 01 – 02 July 2025
• H-Nat 2024 World Summit in Paris on November, 13 & 14, 2025.

5) Notable articles and reports by the US Geological Survey (USGS) and/or their staff:

a) USGS: The Potential for Geologic Hydrogen for Next-Generation Energy, April 13, 2023

b) Prospectivity Mapping for Geologic Hydrogen by: Sarah E. Gelman, Jane S. Hearon, and Geoffrey S. Ellis

c) Geologic Hydrogen report and an interactive map viewer by the USGS Central Energy Resources Science Center, January 16, 2025

d) Science.org: Model predictions of global geologic hydrogen resources, Geoffrey S. Ellis and Sarah E. Gelman, 13 Dec 2024

6) This low-cost hydrogen can produce renewable methanol using the combination of technologies shown in the schematic below. In addition, a few key points about this combination of technologies are outlined below:

a) Renewable (green) methanol is currently being made in several places around the world on a commercial scale from hydrogen and CO2. For example, Carbon Recycling International has built a plant in China in 2022 that has a capacity of 110.000 tons of renewable methanol per year.

b) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a low-cost system to capture carbon and produce renewable methanol simultaneously. To view a video recording of a presentation about their technology, visit: Integrated Carbon Capture and Conversion: A Roadmap for Economically Capturing and Recycling CO2.

c) As shown in the sketch below, geological hydrogen would be transferred to buffer storage tanks, feeding the hydrogen to an electricity generator and the methanol production system.

d) The biomass power plant produces electricity, biochar and CO2. This biochar generates revenue by selling carbon credits and the product to farmers to make their soil more productive and grow more fuel. To view an example of a biomass power plant, visit: ICM’s Gasifier Plant. 

e) PNNL’s technology can capture CO2 from the biomass power plant and transfer it directly to the methanol production system, enabling very cost-effective methanol production.

f) The electricity from the biomass power plant can be combined with power generated directly from hydrogen via a fuel cell, internal combustion engine or turbine. To maximize the revenue, stored energy can be included to help sell electricity to the local electrical grid when prices are elevated.

7) The demand for green methanol is growing very rapidly. For example, BIS Research indicates in their 2022 Green Methanol Market Industry Overview that the global green methanol market is projected to reach $3.15 billion by 2031 from $122 million in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 39.63% during the forecast period 2022-2031.  

8) Besides commercial customers, the militaries in NATO countries could also become potentially large customers since they have all committed to transitioning to net zero by 2050. For more information about this methanol-related opportunity, visit: Opportunity for the Militaries in NATO Countries to Substantially Reduce Their Carbon Emissions.

13) Example Renewable Methanol Production Plants:

a) Carbon Recycling International’s (CRI’s) new commercial methanol from a CO2 plant in China.

b) Enerkem, with Shell, Suncor, Proman, and Hydro-Quebec, will produce 100,000 tonnes of methanol annually. Operational activities are scheduled for 2023.

c) Maverick Synfuels – Oasis Methanol Plants – small-scale modular methane-to-methanol production plant that can be co-located at the source of the methane

d) Renewable methanol world map

14) To view some reports about the renewable (green) methanol market, visit: 

a) Renewable Methanol Report by Methanol.org

b) IRENA: Innovation Outlook: Renewable Methanol, January 2021:

“Methanol is essential for the chemical industry and represents an emerging fuel for a wide range of uses. Although largely produced from fossil fuels, it can also be made from sustainable, renewable-based energy sources.
Around 98 million tonnes (Mt) are produced per annum, nearly all of which is produced from fossil fuels (either natural gas or coal). • The life-cycle emissions from current methanol production and use are around 0.3 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 per annum (about 10% of total chemical sector emissions). • Methanol production has nearly doubled in the past decade, with a large share of that growth being in China. Under current trends, production could rise to 500 Mt per annum by 2050, releasing 1.5 Gt CO2 per annum if solely sourced from fossil fuels. • The cost of producing fossil fuel-based methanol is in the range of USD 100-250 per tonne (t).”

c) Renewable Methanol by Blue Technologies, BLUE AALBORG, Denmark

15) Methanol is a very versatile fuel. Given below are some links to information about converting internal combustion engines to methanol:

a)  Existing internal combustion engines can upgraded to run on methanol. For example, Man Energy Solutions upgrades existing hydrocarbon-fueled engines to run on methanol.

b) China is betting big on another gas engine alternative: methanol cars By Zeyi Yangarchive, September 30, 2022
Methanol fuel can help China reach its carbon-neutrality goal faster—as long as it isn’t made from coal.

c) Progress in Energy and Combustion Science: Methanol as a fuel for internal combustion engines,  January 2019

d) Methanex.com: Passenger & Cargo Vehicle Fuel

16) Renewable methanol can used to provide reliable power to remote Electric Vehicle (E.V.) charging stations. Given below is one example:

a) InnovationNewsNetwork: Affordable and efficient hydrogen production (from methanol) on-site and on-demand Energy, Mar 30, 2023. Wind and solar energy can be added to this charging station to reduce the cost of the electricity used for charging electric cars.

17) Technical reports and other information relating to the economics of utilizing hydrogen in different applications:

18) Geologic Hydrogen and Helium

a) Helium, which is high value commodity, is often found along with Geologic hydrogen.  For example, Gold Hydrogen in Australia estimated that they found approximately 41 billion cubic feet (BCF) of helium along with 1.3 billion kilograms of Geologic Hydrogen in the area they are exploring.
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b) The US Geological Survey reported that the price for Grade-A helium was approximately US$14/m3 ($0.39 per cubic feet) in 2023.
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c) Helium is by-product of radioactive decay of U, Th, and K and a good proxy for hydrogen exploration where the water radiolysis is the dominant hydrogen generation mechanism.  For more info, visit: Getech Releases White Paper on Helium Exploration and Its Synergy with Natural Hydrogen.
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19) To visit the page via a short link, click on this link: www.climatesan.org/atgh