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New United States Geological Survey Map shows yet another potential energy resource in West Virginia

By Stephen Smoot, The Shinnston News & Harrison County Journal

SHINNSTON, W.Va. — West Virginia serves as one of the leading producers of energy in the United States, ranking fifth among all states in that category. Most associate West Virginia with coal and natural gas, but the state also has reserves of oil. Developments in different parts of the state also harness wind and solar energy.

A new map released by the United States Geological Survey indicates that the state may have yet another prime source of energy lurking beneath the surface. The USGS released a map that shows the prospectivity of hydrogen across the United States not counting Alaska, Hawaii, or other territories.

“Geologic, or naturally occurring, hydrogen,” shared the USGS website page on the new map, “has the potential to become a new, low-carbon, primary energy resource. Often referred to as ‘white’ or ‘gold’ hydrogen, this gas occurs naturally in the Earth’s subsurface, similar to petroleum resources.”

The word prospectivity in mineral or other extractive fields refers to two aspects, first, the likelihood that a substance may be found and second, its ease of recovery. In this case, the map indicates the most likely areas in the United States to extract hydrogen from the ground.

As the USGS stated, “prospective regions are those regions in which all major components necessary for a hydrogen accumulation likely are present—a source of sufficient hydrogen generation, porous reservoirs for storage, and seals to prevent leakage.” 

Read more: https://shinnstonnews.com/new-united-states-geological-survey-map-shows-yet-another-potential-energy-resource-in-west-virginia/

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