Electric power required in the world by 2050 with hydrogen fuel production-Revised

Since estimation of electric power requirement for large-scale production of hydrogen fuel for the world vehicle fleet based on data through 1995 in 2001, a large increase in available travel data has become available, sufficient to revise the estimates with greater confidence. It is apparent that much more energy will be required, as worldwide demand for electrification and substitution of hydrogen for fossil fuel in transportation grows over the next 50 years. Published forecasts for electricity demand over the next 30 years show mean annual growth rates ranging from 1.7 to 3.4%/a, which when extrapolated from the present consumption of 16 PWh in 2002 to the year 2050 suggests an annual electricity demand in the range of 36-82 PWh. In addition to the business-as-usual growth in demand, estimation of the growth of the world automotive vehicle fleet from about 900 million vehicles in 2010, consuming about 360 billion gallons of petrol, to about 1.5 billion vehicles in 2050, which could be operated with about 260 billion kilogram of hydrogen fuel, would result in additional electricity demand of about 10 PWh annually for replacement of fossil fuels in transportation. With approximately 175 PW of solar power reaching earth and world fossil fuel reserves of 50-200 years remaining at present consumption rates, the question arises of how much of the world's future electric energy supply will be required (if any) from nuclear fuels.