The Hydrogen Economy: If, When and How

David March, Wasam Balshi, and Mike Hopkins

The hydrogen economy is often discussed in extremes; either dismissed as an expensive distraction or celebrated as the inevitable successor to fossil fuels. Neither framing is particularly useful for those trying to make investment, infrastructure, or technology decisions today. The more productive question is not whether hydrogen has a role in the energy transition, but where, at what cost, on what timeline, and through what production pathways it can realistically deliver. That question is considerably more complex, and considerably more interesting.

What is becoming clearer is that the binary framing of batteries versus hydrogen is itself the wrong starting point. Both storage technologies serve distinct application niches, and the more credible industry view is that they are complementary rather than competitive. Hydrogen is increasingly recognised as the more viable pathway for heavy-duty transport, long-duration grid storage, and industrial decarbonisation, sectors where the energy density, weight penalties, and charge-time limitations of batteries make large-scale electrification impractical. The challenge is not the technology case, but the economics and infrastructure required to close the cost gap and move from demonstration projects to commercial deployment at scale.

This webinar, hosted by Dave March, brings together three industry voices with direct experience across hydrogen production, fuel systems, and real-world project delivery. The discussion covers the production colour taxonomy and why it matters less than carbon intensity per kilogram, the economics of green versus blue hydrogen and the role of IRA incentives, infrastructure constraints around storage and distribution, and realistic timelines for commercial adoption across transport and power generation. The consensus view of a fifteen-year horizon to a pervasive hydrogen economy is grounded, not pessimistic, and the conversation around what happens in the intervening period is where the practical decisions lie.

For anyone working in energy infrastructure, distributed generation, or long-duration storage, this is a useful grounding in where the hydrogen economy actually stands.

Webinar / Video:The Hydrogen Economy: If, When and How