Along with sushi, sake and karaoke, Japan is also about to be known for making the Toyota Prius infinitely more cool than it has ever been. The small island nation will manage this gargantuan task  by creating a network of hydrogen fuel stations that will keep hydrogen-powered Priuses on the road by the end of next year. That’s at least a part of the Japanese Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry’s 25 year plan to get the country using more hydrogen energy.

By the end of next year Japan is aiming to have a commercial hydrogen-powered car available along with 100 hydrogen fuel stations across the country with plans for a hydrogen-powered bus for the next year and a solid oxide fuel cell system for both commercial and industrial use in place one year later.

At the turn of the decade Japan will look to expand its hydrogen operations to get houses onto the clean energy as well, although they have admitted that to get enough hydrogen to power all of the intended users the country they will need to begin importing hydrogen from foreign countries. They will also need to develop new methods of production to boost capacity, with the eventual aim of producing completely carbon-neutral hydrogen by 2040.

Hydrogen power is extremely attractive as a source of green energy because its only by-product besides electricity is water, which will please even the most environmentally conservative consumer. Whether or not Japan can pull of its hydrogen-powered aspirations remains to be seen, but with the environmental damage from the Fukushima nuclear plant still fresh in the minds of many, Japan could do with some good news on the environmentally-friendly energy front right about now.

[Via – The Register, Image – Shutterstock]