But critics of the development of hydrogen, as reported by the Fox News Network, claim the current technology to manufacture hydrogen generates just as much pollution and current gasoline-powered vehicles. Extracting useful volumes of hydrogen from water (or methane) requires massive amounts of energy, which is produced by burning oil or coal. Critics also point out the difficulty in containing hydrogen as a gas. Because Hydrogen is the smallest atom, produced hydrogen gas could potentially leak out into the atmosphere and, as a non-neutral substance, could have unforeseeable effects.

"We need to understand where it's going to come from," said Dr. Michael Prather, earth systems science professor at the University of California at Irvine.

According to Patrick Serfass, technical and program director of the National Hydrogen Association, there are three main drivers for developing hydrogen as an energy source: energy independence, economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Proponents mention that hydrogen fuels manufacturing and distribution systems are in their infancy and these problems will be overcome as development continues. Most scientists agree that hydrogen is the more likely future of power generation but because of these and many other difficulties that need to be overcome, its widespread application as a replacement for oil, coal and natural gas is still a few years awa