A group of scientists has just found something that, if they confirm it, could forever transform the way we obtain energy: huge reserves of white hydrogen hidden beneath some of the planet’s major mountain ranges, including the Swiss Alps.
Yes, the same type of hydrogen that doesn’t require oil to be produced and that, when used, only leaves water as waste. Pure clean energy, straight from the Earth’s depths. The discovery? Important. The potential? Huge. The path ahead? Long, but increasingly clear.
What exactly is white hydrogen?
It’s not magic. Nor science fiction. White hydrogen, also called natural or geological hydrogen, is a gas that is spontaneously generated inside the Earth. And unlike industrial hydrogen (which must be produced with energy, sometimes even with coal or gas), this one appears on its own, free, with no polluting emissions. When used, the only waste it leaves is water. That clean.
That’s why many see it as one of the best bets for industries that need a lot of energy but also need to reduce their carbon footprint as soon as possible.
And why aren’t we using it already?
The theory isn’t new. It’s been known that white hydrogen exists for decades. The problem? Large reserves had never been found. And without volume, you can’t compete with oil or gas. But now, thanks to much more accurate computer models, something very different has been detected: huge areas with real potential.
Where? In the Pyrenees, the Himalayas… and especially in the Swiss Alps, where this new study has been focused.
How is this hydrogen formed?
The process is quite complicated. According to Frank Zwaan, the geologist leading the study, one of the keys lies in something called serpentinization. Basically, water comes into contact with certain iron-rich rocks found in the Earth’s mantle, and that generates hydrogen naturally.
The issue is that these rocks usually aren’t within reach… except when things like continental collisions or tectonic movements occur, pushing them upward, where they can interact with water through deep faults.
One step beyond theory
The important thing about the study is not just that they found the gas, but, for the first time, it’s possible to estimate how much there is and where to look for it. According to Geoffrey Ellis from the U.S. Geological Survey, this marks a before and after because now there is a concrete way to evaluate its viability.
What does this mean for the future?
It means we have a new energy hope. But we shouldn’t get too excited too quickly: it will still be years before white hydrogen can be exploited on a large scale. It will require:
- Reliable and cheap extraction technology.
- Infrastructure to store and transport it.
- And above all, making sure the entire process is truly sustainable.
Oil also started as a curiosity
Frank Zwaan sums it up well: oil, at first, was also just a geological oddity. No one imagined it would end up being the pillar of the entire modern economy.
Well, now we could be facing something similar. If the experimental phase is overcome, white hydrogen has all the odds of becoming the key resource of the 21st century.
Where are the most promising reserves?
According to the models, there are areas with a lot of potential in:
- The Swiss Alps, the focus of the current study.
- The Pyrenees, in western Europe.
- The Himalayas, where tectonic movements have been intense for millions of years.
Is a new energy era being born?
Maybe. It’s still early to say, but the simple fact that natural reserves of white hydrogen exist in these quantities already changes the rules of the game.
Now the challenge is how to extract it without destroying the planet in the process, how to integrate it into a global energy system, and how to make it competitive against the alternatives we already have.