Academics are now proclaiming that hydrogen power is one of the three most
important technological changes of the 21st century, along with biotechnology
and information technology. While U.S. consumed 7.9 million barrels of gasoline
per day in January 2003, on that basis, 210 million kilograms per day of hydrogen
would be required to operate the nations automotive fleet by fuel cell power.
To produce the required amount of hydrogen using electricity we will need
about 500 gigawatts of new generating capacity for transportation use alone.
An additionally significant amount of generating capacity may also be needed
to satisfy the demand for stationary power. This study presents an overview
of the status of the technical ability to provide hydrogen power. Included
is a discussion of current and potential hydrogen use as a feedstock or fuel,
and efficiency evaluations on different methods to produce and deliver hydrogen
(excluding wind, direct solar, and nuclear energy systems).
