AbstractA critical view of the hydrogen economy. The goal of the hydrogen economy is to replace electrical energy, petroleum products, and natural gas wherever feasible by hydrogen as secondary energy. Apart from the coal the only primary energy source which be available in the near future will be nuclear energy, preferentially for supplying process heat for coal gasification (high temperature reactor). There will hardly be a future for thermochemical cyclic processes for cleavage of water; development of electrolytic process utilizing electrical energy from nuclear reactors appears technically and economically more promising. Exploitation of solar energy for generation of hydrogen appears unlikely in this century. The original concept of the hydrogen economy was associated with the discovery of hydrides of intermetallic compounds which are suitable for reversible storage of hydrogen. During the ensuing 15 years since the pioneering studies on this topic extensive detailed knowledge has accrued about the thermodynamic behaviour of hydride storage systems, their lattice structure, and the uptake and release of hydrogen. In any case, the hydrogen economy will be expensive with regard to both development and the necessary investment in this application.