The Adelaide-based company said it would work on the initiative with Koloma, a US-based clean fuel startup backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft’s Bill Gates.
The project will combine Koloma’s “advanced data analytics tools” with Fleet’s ExoSphere satellite sensors to create 3D images of potential hydrogen sites underground.
“Existing in large amounts within the Earth’s crust, white hydrogen – or ‘geologic’ hydrogen – produces water when burned, representing a significant opportunity as a renewable and green fuel source,” said Fleet in a statement.
“The challenge for geologists has been where to find it in large enough volumes to further Earth’s energy transition.
“By modelling tectonic movement to identify regions with the conditions for geologic hydrogen, a team of researchers recently published a widely covered paper in the journal Science Advances, finding that mountain ranges may be potential hotspots for large-scale reserves.
“However, acquiring the high-quality geophysical data to do this analysis is often challenging and time-consuming, given the harsh conditions, elevation, and remote location of many exploration projects.
“The remote data acquisition enabled by Fleet Space’s ExoSphere system – combining satellites, satellite-enabled smart sensors, and AI processing – addresses this key problem, enabling remote acquisition of high-quality 3D data up to 7km in depth and real-time data processing so exploration teams and researchers can accelerate their modelling and identify opportunity zones more rapidly at scale while reducing environmental impact.”
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Both Fleet and Koloma have made headlines in the last year after securing vast sums of investment.
Koloma claims to have raised more than US$305 million since it was founded in 2021, while high-profile backers include Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, United Airlines’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures and a climate and technology fund founded by Bill Gates in 2015.
Fleet, meanwhile, cemented its position as one of Australia’s most valuable space companies after it raised a further $150 million from investors in December last year.
It also recently launched two new satellites – Centauri-7 and Centauri-8 – onboard SpaceX’s huge Transporter 12 rideshare mission.
Fleet’s ExoSphere product allows mining companies to both speed up the hunt for minerals and reduce costs by lowering the need for invasive land surveying. Already, clients include Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold, and Core Lithium.
“Koloma’s international expansion is a significant step for our company as we work to unlock natural hydrogen resources in the most promising places across the planet,” said Koloma CEO Pete Johnson.
“As a new primary energy source, natural hydrogen can secure carbon-free energy independence for decades to come in many regions of the world.
“Australia holds significant promise for natural hydrogen, and we are excited to be a part of the effort there, building partnerships, creating jobs, and hopefully making big discoveries.”
Co-founder & CEO of Fleet, Flavia Tata Nardini, said the tie-up represents the kind of industry partnerships needed to address the urgent demand for clean energy alternatives.
“With the latest advances in hyper-scalable, data-driven, end-to-end exploration technologies powered by space and AI, leaders working to build the foundation for Earth’s energy transition will have the next-gen tools to accelerate their path to discovery while minimising environmental impact.”
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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