Eclipse Energy, a Houston-based startup formerly known as Gold H2, is one of the companies at the forefront of this energy revolution. They’re working on pioneering tech that turns old, dormant oil wells into hydrogen generation hubs. Eclipse was set up as a separate spinout from Cemvita. During the last few years, the firm has created a groundbreaking technique for extracting hydrogen from oil fields.
That last point is especially important, given that last summer, Eclipse put its technology to the test at an oilfield in California’s San Joaquin Basin. Microbe of the month The company deploys specialized microbes that gobble up oil molecules. This process produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide as byproducts. When the microbes ingest the oil, they’re breaking it down and reconstituting it into hydrogen you can use, producing carbon dioxide as a waste output.
Eclipse has a strategic partnership with Weatherford, which Eclipse describes as an extension of its team. The partnership will result in increased efficiency of the advanced technology and a quicker deployment of refined technology across multiple sites. Once these microbes have metabolized the oil and released hydrogen, Eclipse and its partners will be ready to take action. They’ll run a separation process to remove the hydrogen and carbon dioxide that comes to the surface.
Approximately 50% of the carbon dioxide generated will be retained in the reservoir. The other half can be monetized and/or saved through the use of specialty equipment that sequesters it, or repurposes it as a feedstock for other uses. By accumulating the benefits of emissions reductions and safety, this dual approach positions the coalition to capture the increasing demand for low-carbon energy supply sources.
It has long been Eclipse’s moonshot goal to make low-carbon hydrogen for around 50 cents per kilogram. This price point is highly competitive with hydrogen produced from natural gas at industrial scale plants. The possible market for such technology is astronomical. We could potentially repurpose an estimated 3 million abandoned oil and gas wells for hydrogen production in the United States alone.
Eclipse’s inaugural projects will get started in January. This launch is yet another exciting step forward in getting their technology deployed and deployed into action.
“It’s taking a liability and turning it into a clean energy asset,” – Prab Sekhon.
