24 June 2021 Putting aside the incredible spectrum of emotions that seem to be surrounding hydrogen as a technology, a concept or a political symbol, it is very much a thing worth paying very close attention to. In terms of a substance used industrially, it is quite old, but as an energy technology – or a climate technology – it is very new. A debate exists about exactly what it’s good for. Hydrogen maximalists insist that it’s basically good for everything: chuck it in power plants, chuck it in cars – it’s magic. You can also find people who truly cannot abide the possibility of a single stray molecule being used in a decarbonised economy. It burns cleanly when it’s used as a fuel and can be stored in greater quantities than electricity, but it’s explosive, tricky to make, and tricky to store.