The Politics Of Hydrogen

"All fuel cells combine hydrogen with oxygen to produce power... without generating emissions any more harmful than water vapour...The catch, of course, is that it is first necessary to find a source of hydrogen. If renewable energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis, then the energy produced by a fuel cell is genuinely emission-free. But if energy from a hydrocarbon such as petrol or coal is used, there will still be some unwanted emissions...Europe and America do not see eye to eye on the question of how best to generate hydrogen. Europe is putting more emphasis on renewables; America, by contrast, is keen on the possibility of deriving hydrogen from fossil fuels."