Gas on Ice

Technology Review contains an interesting article, entitled Gas on Ice, that shows promise for expanding our available natural gas supplies.

Hydrate forms when gas, usually methane, mixes with water under just the right temperature and pressure conditions. A lattice-work of frozen water molecules encases each molecule of the gas, creating a flammable, ice-like substance....If we could produce gas from only 1 percent of all the hydrates in the world, says USGS researcher Tim Collett, we would have enough natural gas to last more than 170,000 years at the present U.S. consumption rate of 23 trillion cubic feet annually.

This seems to me to have much greater promise than solar ever will. Hydrogen as well, given the amount of investment in exploration, production, and distribution for petroleum and natural gas products in the world.