The origin of ideas on a Hydrogen Economy and its solution to the decay of the environment

The concept of using H2 as a long-term solution to the problems of planetary warming and pollution was triggered by a conversation about calculations due to Lawaczek, who claimed in the 1930s that sending energy in H2 through pipes would be cheaper than sending it through wires. I published the first note proposing H2 storage and transmission of energy phis use of fuel cells as the general solution to climate environmental decay in 1971, a full paper in 1972 and the first book in 1975. H2 would be used instead of natural gas in industry, particularly in metallurgical extractions and in the home. To extract H2 from water at 2020 would be ∼20% more expensive than present gasoline — if one allows the pollutional costs of gasoline to be taken into account.