Energy storage is essential to power appliances and transportation vehicles. For most of the industrial age, it has been done using a fossil fuel tank in vehicles and fossil fuel power plants providing electricity to appliances.
Wind and solar energy can provide energy for electricity generation, but it needs to be stored in order to be used when the sun does not shine or when the wind does not blow.
Lithium ion batteries have proven to be a good way of doing it, however it has some drawbacks. One of them is the charging time, another one is the process of actually making them which is energy intensive due to the materials it needs. Finally, once it reaches the end of its lifetime, it has to be properly disposed due to the contaminants for the environment present in it.
Hydrogen is also a good way of storing energy, and a fuel cell a way to use it. The problem with hydrogen is that it has to be generated (requiring electricity). Because of its small molecular weight, storing it requires special technology.
In the end, hydrogen seems cleaner, however, there are much more lithium ion chargers than hydrogen distribution centers. The electricity generation is still mainly done from fossil fuels. The most appropriate model of the inclusion of renewables is a gradual introduction of new technologies, without altering the economic supply and demand rules by subsidizing any particular kind. If we need to use fossil fuels to improve humanity's quality of life we should use them. Lets keep in mind that lithium batteries also contaminate and solar panels also contaminate once they are disposed of.
