Startups and researchers are racing to artificially produce hydrogen underground by fracturing iron-rich rock, triggering water-rock reactions that release the gas. Massachusetts-based Eden GeoPower uses pulsed electrical power (via custom Marx generators nicknamed Zeus and Thor) to fracture hard rock with plasma-induced shock waves, achieving up to fourfold increases in hydrogen yield in lab tests. Competing approaches from GeoKiln, Vema Hydrogen, and Koloma use underground heaters, catalysts, and carbon-dioxide injection respectively. ARPA-E awarded $20 million in 2024 to fund 16 teams pursuing stimulated geologic hydrogen, though commercial viability remains unproven and researchers say a combination of techniques will likely be needed.
Table of contents
There’s Plenty of Underground HydrogenEden GeoPower’s Underground Rock FracturingUsing Pulsed Power for Rock FracturingOther Approaches to Stimulated Geologic Hydrogen121 Impressions