Reinventing Fire describes an energy future markedly different
from business-as-usual official forecasts. For the same level of
economic activity (2050 GDP 2.58 times 2010’s), Reinventing Fire
envisions an economy that uses 71 quadrillion BTUs of primary
energy in 2050, 39% less than the business-as-usual-forecast or
21% below 2010’s level. Reinventing Fire shows how the primary
energy needed can come from roughly one-fourth natural gas (the
same share as now), and the rest from renewables rather than, as
now, from oil and coal. Wind, solar, biomass, and natural gas
account for 98% of primary energy used in Reinventing Fire in
2050, the rest from coal and oil. If the hydrogen shown were all
reformed from natural gas, it would come half from gas and half
from steam.