| | AUGUST 201919CIOReviewBy Manikandan Ramani, Director of Chemical Engineering, Plug Power Inc.As civilizations have evolved - so too have our energy needs. By applying the total per capita energy consumption per day (Kcals/day) metric, we can actually show how much human beings have consumed energy over the years. Primitive people needed only around 2,000 Kcals/day, just enough to hunt. To put that in perspective, that amount of energy is about what's needed to light a 100 W bulb for a day. This usage grew to around 70,000 Kcals/day for the industrial generation - people were now using energy for machines, railroad, electricity, and such. Now the technological generation needs around 250,000 Kcals/day, as our use of tools now includes personal vehicles, computers, phones, the internet, etc. ­ a whopping 100x increase from our primitive selves. About 70% of this new energy demand can be attributed to industrial, mobility and data assimilation. It's becoming increasingly clear that we cannot sustain this energy usage through fossil fuels alone, with peak scenarios showing both fuel exhaustion and global warming consequences. Instead, we must turn to emerging energy innovations, many coming from renewables, to ensure we can continue to power our future. The electrification of mobility is certainly part of the answer, but leaves us asking: What is the right approach in the electric mobility revolution? While there may not be an industry consensus on it just yet, both batteries and fuel cells occupy the space quite effectively. While we are at the forefront of converting mobility applications to electrification with fuel cells, it only makes sense economically when we solve our customers' pain points - specifically when you start to think about assets in a shared economy, in a world where autonomy becomes rapidly available and accessible. In short, any application that demands heavy utilization of its assets is primed for fuel cell power. ENABLING INNOVATION IN ELECTRIFICATION THROUGH FUEL CELLS
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