Fuel Cell Fantasy

The NYT explains why we're not moving away from an oil-based economy to a fuel-cell one.

the least-expensive methods of hydrogen production use fuels like coal or natural gas, and those create pollution, experts say. Hydrogen is also difficult to ship and store. In addition, power from fuel cells is far more costly than
the same amount of power from a gasoline engine...

[According to Joseph J. Romm, the chief Energy Department official in charge of conservation and alternative energy in the Clinton administration,] Most hydrogen produced today is made from natural gas, he said, and using that gas to make electricity, and thus replace coal-based electric plants, would do more for the environment than using the gas to make hydrogen to replace gasoline. He said society would get more energy from a cubic foot of natural gas burned in a modern gas-powered electric plant than if it was converted to hydrogen.