After many years of discussions and a few false dawns the hydrogen economy is finally becoming real.  Considerable technical and commercial challenges remain, however the end result will be widespread use of a non-polluting energy vector which enables a significantly greater use of the electricity produced by intermittent renewable technologies such as wind and solar.  Hydrogen facilitates currently unusable surplus renewable electricity produced at peak times to be available during times of RE shortage, it will be used in fuel cell powered vehicles, and as the basis for liquid e-fuels which will power tomorrow’s aircraft.