INRS professor holds $1.4M chair for geothermal and green hydrogen storage
INRS professor Jasmin Raymond holds a $1.4M Canada Research Chair advancing geothermal energy, green hydrogen storage and natural hydrogen exploration.
Photo by Jan van der Wolf on Pexels
Green hydrogen storage is one of three research priorities of a new $1.4 million research chair at Canada’s Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), the institute announced on June 10, 2026. Professor Jasmin Raymond has been appointed to the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Geoenergy Systems Analysis, funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), to develop underground energy solutions — geothermal energy, green hydrogen storage, and natural hydrogen — aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuels, particularly in remote communities.
The chair combines numerical modelling, geological characterisation, and field experiments in natural settings. It builds on Raymond’s work in geothermal energy and extends it to the storage of hydrogen made from renewable electricity and to the search for hydrogen that occurs naturally underground.
| Research pillar | Focus and location | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Geothermal energy | Remote, rural and Indigenous communities in northern Canada; Open Geothermal Laboratory | Replace diesel and other fossil fuels for heating, cooling and power |
| Green hydrogen storage | Salt formations of the Magdalen Islands | Store surplus wind and solar energy underground to stabilise supply |
| Natural hydrogen | Mistassini and Otish basins, north of Chibougamau | Assess geological hydrogen that could be produced without emissions |
Source: INRS, June 10, 2026.
Green hydrogen storage in underground salt caverns
A core part of the chair examines how to convert surplus electricity from wind and solar into hydrogen through electrolysis, then hold it underground until it is needed. The work centres on the Magdalen Islands, where subsurface salt formations are suited to creating large storage caverns. Raymond’s team frames this as a way to even out the gap between variable renewable output and steady demand, supplying power when the wind drops.
The islands illustrate the problem the approach targets. “The Islands still rely mainly on a thermal power plant for their energy supply, but wind energy is developing rapidly,” Raymond stated, describing underground green hydrogen storage as a means to support that shift toward a continuous supply.
Geothermal energy for remote and Indigenous communities
The chair’s geothermal strand works directly in rural, isolated and Indigenous communities in northern Canada, many of which still depend on diesel for heat and power. As scientific lead of the Open Geothermal Laboratory, Raymond is extending earlier results from subarctic sites to harsher conditions, including the Arctic’s Franklinian Basin. “Very little scientific research is conducted in these remote communities,” Raymond stated, arguing that investment there is needed to strengthen energy sovereignty and reduce the environmental footprint of fossil fuels.
Because green hydrogen storage and geothermal heat are ways to firm up variable supply, the work connects to questions Winss Solutions has examined in whether renewable energy is really unreliable due to intermittency and in integrating resilient power systems with sustainable energy practices. For off-grid settlements, the local-supply angle mirrors the case set out in microgrids as the future of reliable, localised energy.
Natural hydrogen exploration
The third strand investigates naturally occurring geological hydrogen, an emerging resource that the team says could be produced without greenhouse gas emissions. Field research is focused on the Mistassini and Otish basins, north of Chibougamau in Québec. Raymond’s group describes natural hydrogen as a potential way to address several constraints of the energy transition at once, including the intermittency of renewables, long-distance transport, and the high-temperature heat that some industries require.
About INRS
The Institut national de la recherche scientifique is a public research and graduate-training institute in Québec, Canada, organised into four research centres covering water, earth and the environment; energy, materials and telecommunications; health and biotechnology; and urbanisation, culture and society. Its geoscience research includes geothermal energy used for heating, cooling and electricity generation, the basis for the Open Geothermal Laboratory that Raymond leads. With the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Geoenergy Systems Analysis announced on June 10, 2026, INRS extends that work into green hydrogen storage and natural hydrogen, three pathways it says are aimed at cutting fossil-fuel use in Canada’s environmental and economic transition, particularly in remote regions.
Sources: INRS; EurekAlert
Featured image: photo by Jan van der Wolf on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
