THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE MARKETS FOR:

The battle of the billionaires has become the stuff of headlines. The world's richest man, Elon Musk, has gone head-to-head with Australia's richest man, billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest.

Musk, founding investor in battery-powered car giant Tesla, has famously mocked hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles as "mind-bogglingly stupid".

Forrest has just placed a very large bet on green hydrogen through his Fortescue Future Industries company. It's no surprise Forrest has hit back, calling Musk "just a businessman" rather than a "real climate avenger".

The stoush might sound tabloid. But at its heart is serious debate about the world's industrial future.

Battery-electric cars have already proven their worth, whereas hydrogen fuel-cell cars are still emerging. But green hydrogen isn't a one-trick pony - it can replace fossil fuels in many high-emissions industrial processes, such as making steel or cement.

As we accelerate towards a green future, will batteries or fuel cells power the world? The short answer is, we'll need both.

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