A biotech startup, Eclipse Energy, is pioneering a novel approach to transform millions of abandoned oil and gas wells across the U.S. into productive hydrogen factories. These wells, often deemed uneconomical to operate despite still containing significant oil reserves, represent a substantial environmental liability. Eclipse Energy's innovative technology utilizes specialized microbes to extract clean energy from these dormant assets.
Prab Sekhon, CEO of Eclipse Energy, highlighted the untapped potential in these wells, telling TechCrunch, "They've tried everything. There's still a ton of oil left behind." While conventional methods struggle to recover this remaining oil, Eclipse Energy has devised a way to unlock its inherent energy by sending microbes deep into the wells. These microorganisms consume oil molecules, liberating hydrogen gas in the process.
This microbial conversion offers a significant advantage: instead of dealing with viscous oil, companies can now extract easily flowing hydrogen gas. "Hydrogen flows a lot easier," Sekhon explained, simplifying the extraction process from the well.
The Houston-based startup, a spin-off from Cemvita, successfully demonstrated its technology last summer at an oilfield in California's San Joaquin Basin. Building on this success, Eclipse Energy is now collaborating with oilfield services giant Weatherford International to deploy the technology globally, with the first projects slated to commence in January. Sekhon described Weatherford as "an extension of our team," emphasizing their role as the "operational arm" for worldwide deployment.
Over several years, Eclipse Energy (formerly known as Gold H2) has meticulously developed this technology. Their process involves sampling naturally occurring microbes found at the oil-water interface within well aquifers, identifying the most efficient strains for hydrogen liberation.
As the microbes break down the oil, they produce both hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Both gases then rise to the surface, where Eclipse and its partners will separate them. Approximately half of the generated carbon dioxide is expected to remain sequestered within the reservoir, while the rest can be captured using specialized equipment for further sequestration or utilization.
Eclipse Energy's ambitious goal is to produce low-carbon hydrogen for approximately 50 cents per kilogram. This price point is competitive with hydrogen derived from natural gas in industrial plants, a process that typically releases significantly more carbon dioxide. The resulting hydrogen can then be utilized in various applications, including petrochemical plants or as a clean fuel source for energy generation.
Sekhon succinctly summarized the transformative potential of their innovation: "It's taking a liability and turning it into a clean energy asset."
