Looking for a route-map on the road to a hydrogen economy

A future hydrogen economy is increasingly seen as the holy grail for energy and transport policy - promising a solution to the twin preoccupations of energy security and climate change. But a new report for the Government has warned against a "premature dash to hydrogen" as a road transport fuel. It suggests that hydrogen will be sourced from fossil fuels for many decades - and that as a result hybrid electric-diesel vehicles offer much greater promise for reducing CO₂ emissions in the short- and medium-term. But in a major challenge to current policies on energy crops and biofuels, the report suggests that the UK should consider a major programme to produce hydrogen or other road fuels from woody crops.