Hydrogen island: the story and motivations behind the Icelandic hydrogen society experiment

The paper describes the background, motivations and action plan for an extensive experiment with hydrogen (H) as an energy carrier in Iceland. The energy consumption of Iceland is described as well as the role of fossil fuel imports in the otherwise renewable energy scenario. The paper goes on describing the academic/political reasons for the drive towards the H economy experiment and the international consortium created to herald the work. Finally the paper describes the ongoing projects in Iceland and the anticipated development of H research and development in the country.