Michigan might be at the forefront of a new clean fuel source — and it’s buried right under the state.
Last month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said her administration wants to make the state a hub for geologic hydrogen, a potentially untapped reserve of clean fuel below the Earth’s surface that could power the transition away from fossil fuels.
The U.S. already produces millions of tons of hydrogen a year to power carbon-intense transportation sectors like heavy trucking and shipping, but it’s expensive and requires a lot of energy. Harnessing natural hydrogen could bring prices down and cut more emissions from those industries.
Here’s what to know about this potential new source of clean energy:
How does hydrogen form within the Earth?There are several ways that large amounts of hydrogen may have formed within the Earth’s crust, according to Matt Schrenk, a geomicrobiology professor at Michigan State University. Scientists know that deposits of natural hydrogen are created when ... Read more
