So far, the gas hydrate deposits discovered contain high concentrations of methane. Scientists estimate the energy content of gas hydrates to be very significant, with one liter of methane hydrate solid containing 168 liters of methane gas. The first of the great debates concerning gas hydrates comes from the total potential energy from it. Some scientists believe that the potential of gas hydrates all over the world is twice that of fossil fuel reserves.

According to Professor Bahman Tohidi, head of the gas hydrate unit of Herio-Watt University's Institute for Petroleum Research said

"That amount is too big to ignore. Even if we were being conservative, and said that there was only the equivalent amount of gas hydrate as the total amount of fossil fuels that is still an enormous quantity. But what is also interesting about gas hydrate is where one finds it. A lot of countries who do not have conventional reservoirs [of oil or gas], do have hydrate reservoirs. Japan, for instance. India, too. It is strategically very important for them to be self-sufficient from an energy viewpoint. And these methane hydrates, because they are mainly methane gas, are regarded as a low-carbon fuel, like natural gas. It's clean - not totally clean like hydrogen - but low-carbon."

Have we discovered the proverbial spring of eternal fuel energy (if there is such a thing)? Hold on to your horses because we aren't out of the woods yet. The secret to gas hydrates is the potential havoc gas hydrates would wreck to the atmosphere and the whole ecological system. More on that tomorrow!