Our farming methods are now so dangerously dependent on liquid fossil fuel that any severe shortages of oil due to events in the middle east or peak oil would inevitably mean severe food shortages. Fossil fuel powered farm machines also emit large amounts of carbon dioxide.

A truly sustainable farming system would need to be powered by the sun via wind, solar, hydro or biogas. All of these are best delivered in the form of electricity but the problem is how do we transmit that electricity to the farm machines at the lowest cost and with minimal energy loss.

Producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water, compressing the hydrogen, transporting it and converting it back in to electricity using fuel cells gives a power plant to wheel efficiency of only about 22%.

Is hydrogen really the way foreward or is New Holland on the wrong track?

Not sure only time will tell.

Electric will have a place especially in the low horsepower applications.

But the storage of the fuel whether its Hydrogen or battery is a major problem with high output machines.

Weight and safety are two big issues, both of which will be reduces if not eliminated over time and further development.

Malthus:

Fossil fuel powered farm machines also emit large amounts of carbon dioxide.

A truly sustainable farming system would need to be powered by the sun via wind, solar, hydro or biogas. All of these are best delivered in the form of electricity but the problem is how do we transmit that electricity to the farm machines at the lowest cost and with minimal energy loss.

Producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water, compressing the hydrogen, transporting it and converting it back in to electricity using fuel cells gives a power plant to wheel efficiency of only about 22%.

Despite what the 'antis' would have you believe, the efficiency of wind turbines has come on tremendously in the last few years with the money that's been available for development. Solar panels have a way to go yet, but are improving vastly all the time. With development, power from hydrogen will improve similarly, there are several people working on it, although New Holland have grasped the nettle and publicly demonstrated their machine.

In the long term, agriculture is in the perfect position to utilise hydrogen, as we can produce it with wind, solar and digester plants throughout the year, and it doesn't matter to us if the fuel tank on the machine is a bit big.