Published August 2003
The US 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 large amount of generating capacity will 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, and a brief profiling of its current end uses. Included is a discussion of current and potential hydrogen use as a feedstock or fuel, technology profiles on different methods to produce hydrogen an a large scale (excluding wind, direct solar, and nuclear energy systems), basic chemical and physical properties of hydrogen, alternative methods of hydrogen storage, and hydrogen safety characteristics.
