Recently, the "DDE Geologic Hydrogen Task Group" workshop, organized by the Deep-time Digital Earth (DDE) Grand Science Program of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), was successfully held in Beijing. Attending the meeting were nearly 40 experts and scholars from around the world, including academicians and experts in the field of natural hydrogen gas from Germany, France, Australia, the United States, as well as representatives from institutions such as China University of Geosciences (Beijing), China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Peking University, China National Petroleum Corporation, and Sinopec.

In today's pursuit of clean energy and sustainable development, the exploration and development of natural hydrogen resources have become a hot topic in the energy sector. The focus of this workshop was on the scientific objectives, tasks, and feasibility of the "DDE Geologic Hydrogen Task Group." Through the DDE Grand Science Program platform, the group aims to attract scholars and institutions from around the world involved in natural hydrogen research, to jointly establish a network for the study of geological storage theories of natural hydrogen and resource prediction databases. They also plan to develop an open DDE natural hydrogen data portal, conduct in-depth analysis and mining of the mechanisms of global natural hydrogen formation and enrichment, providing a foundation for the evaluation and prediction of natural hydrogen resources.

Moreover, the attending academicians and experts conducted an in-depth analysis and shared the latest research findings on various aspects, including the distribution of natural hydrogen resources, exploration techniques, development models, and utilization pathways. The discussions covered key issues such as the identification of natural hydrogen sources, the main controlling factors of its formation and storage, and intelligent prediction of resources.

The establishment of the "DDE Geologic Hydrogen Task Group" will facilitate global theoretical research on natural hydrogen, geological surveys, and the construction of exploration and development databases. It provides a new platform for the world to study natural hydrogen resources, contributing to the assessment and prediction of natural hydrogen resources under different geological conditions globally. This, in turn, will offer effective references and guidance for the global exploration and development of natural hydrogen. The global exploration and development of natural hydrogen resources are still in their infancy, with promising resource prospects. With more research and practice, there is reason to believe that natural hydrogen will soon bring us cleaner, safer, and more efficient energy solutions.