Japan has made a major discovery of precious metals which could supercharge its $107,000,000,000 investment into green energy and make it one of the world's leading nations when it comes to clean energy production.
There have been a number of valuable discoveries in recent years where large quantities of rare Earth materials used in the manufacturing of smartphones, electric car batteries, and more have been uncovered.
These often have the world's richest individuals fighting for control - especially in the case of someone like Elon Musk who could use these to further cement Tesla's position as a leading EV manufacturer - but a new discovery in Japan could prove to be a significant breakthrough in climate-friendly energy solutions.
What did Japan find?
As reported by UNILAD, Japanese scientists uncovered significant manganese nodules on the seabed of Minami-Tori-shima island, which is located around 1,200 miles from Tokyo.
Discovered roughly 5,700 meters below sea level, these nodules are expected to contain millions of metric tonnes of cobalt and nickel, which could prove vital in the country's push towards clean, hydrogen-based energy solutions.
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It is understood that the metal deposits have been formed over millions of years as cobalt, nickel, and other metals attached to fish bones which lay dormant at the bottom of the ocean.
In terms of the value of the find, experts indicate that in total it could be worth more than $26,000,000,000, and this price could even continue to rise in the future as demand for certain materials increases.
However, selling the rare and valuable metals isn't a priority for the Japanese government, as they have their sights set on a different use that could prove vital to the country's future.
What will the discovery be used for?
It's highly likely that Japan will utilize the copious metals found at the bottom of the ocean to boost its own efforts towards green energy, particular in its goal to become net-zero by 2050.
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Key to this is the use of metals like cobalt and nickel in hydrogen power production, which has become a leading source of clean energy in recent years and spearheaded by the NEOM gigaplant in Saudi Arabia.
Researchers from the RIKEN Institute have been able to manipulate the structure of manganese in a major breakthrough, which will allow it to be used for hydrogen production in PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolysers.
What this means in practice is that over 1,000 times more hydrogen will be produced than expected, making it comparable to far more valuable metals like platinum and iridium, and proving it to be a world-altering source of potential energy.
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Japan has already invested $107 trillion to move the country to greener energy solutions, so this discovery has proven to be a major boon and sign of positive things to come in the future.
However, one thing that will need to be considered is the effect on the surrounding wildlife, as new studies have warned that extended excavations of the precious manganese will kill marine life in the area, and the impact could be larger and more catastrophic than initially thought.