Hydrogen on track to drive China's development

Experts say the gas could become a major source of clean, environmentally safe fuel, as Wang Keju reports.

The concept of the hydrogen energy economy has been around since the 1970s, thanks to its status as a clean source of fuel and energy that does not release carbon dioxide at the point of use. As such, many scientists believed that hydrogen power could play an important role in the global transition to a clean, low-carbon energy system.

However, despite the early optimism, the concept has remained a Utopian dream, stuck in a chicken-and-egg dilemma, with demand for hydrogen hampered by a lack of required infrastructure and vice versa.