This is a quick-and-dirty post, consisting of links to several articles regarding the development of a hydrogen economy.
In my view, this will be a real game-changer. The technology exists to create hydrogen fuel from water, using solar and wind energy to power the water electrolysis. The hydrogen can then be used in fuel cells, which produce no emmissions except for water vapor. The entire process -- creating the fuel and using it to power vehicles -- can be entirely clean and safe. Hydrogen fuel cells could be used to power cars, trucks, buses, trains, boats and ships. This approach would allow us to produce our own fuel, so we can use our military for something other than controlling Middle East oil fields and oil tanker routes.
Those who say that a hydrogen economy would not be efficient or financially viable are not taking into account the possibility of using solar energy and wind power to create hydrogen via water electrolysis. In time, that method should come to be very inexpensive, as well as clean and safe.
What's the Hydrogen Economy? http://www.theguardian.com/...
International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy http://www.iphe.net/
The Hydrogen Economy, by Jeremy Rifkin
http://www.amazon.com/...
Fuel Cell Basics
http://www.fuelcells.org/...