A massive source of clean energy has been discovered deep within the Earth, enough to last for at least 200 years.

According to a study, approximately 6.2 trillion tons of gaseous hydrogen are hidden within the Earth's crust, which is more than 25 times the remaining reserves of oil underground. Scientists have only discovered a portion of the hidden reservoirs of this clean energy source and do not yet know where the rest are located. Even a small fraction of this hydrogen could provide humanity with energy for about 200 years, allowing for a shift away from fossil fuels. The findings of the study were published in the journal Science Advances, as reported by Space.

Researchers expressed surprise at the results, as it turned out that there is significantly more gaseous hydrogen hidden within the planet than previously thought.

It was believed that hydrogen primarily evaporates into the atmosphere rather than accumulating beneath the planet's surface. However, scientists have now discovered reservoirs of gaseous hydrogen underground in Africa and Albania, although this is only a small fraction of what is truly hidden within the Earth.

Utilizing various data, scientists created models and concluded that they have only found 2% of the total hydrogen reserves on the Earth's surface. According to their estimates, this amounts to approximately 124 billion tons. However, it is believed that the total amount of gaseous hydrogen hidden within the Earth's crust is around 6.2 trillion tons. The remaining energy reservoirs still need to be located, as researchers do not yet know their exact whereabouts. Even the amount of hydrogen that has been discovered is sufficient to provide humanity with clean energy for at least 200 years, allowing for a transition away from fossil fuel usage.

Research indicates that the energy obtainable from this hydrogen is at least twice the energy derived from all known reserves of natural gas on Earth.

Hydrogen forms beneath the surface of our planet as a result of chemical reactions in rocks. The simplest of these reactions is the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen. According to scientists, there are actually many other ways to generate gaseous hydrogen within the Earth's crust.

The study shows that a large portion of the hydrogen reserves on our planet is located too deep to be economically viable for extraction. Nevertheless, the remaining hydrogen is situated where extraction would be justified, which will help accelerate the transition away from traditional fossil fuels for energy generation.

Scientists believe that the demand for hydrogen as a source of clean energy will significantly increase in the coming decades. By the middle of the 21st century, hydrogen is expected to meet about one-third of energy needs in certain sectors of the economy, according to the authors of the study.

The main advantage of gaseous hydrogen is that it can be extracted when needed, as it is always stored within the Earth's crust. Furthermore, the process of generating energy from hydrogen does not require excessive costs.