The increasing use of digital technologies across the economy improves efficiency and facilitates the flexible operation of power systems, but also creates potential new vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.

2017.10.14 IEA “World Energy Outlook 2017”

◎「石油の時代」はまだまだ続く・・・
米国が、2025年までは世界の石油供給量増分の80%を占め、また、短期的な価格下落圧力を維持していることもあり、世界の消費者は「石油の時代」への別れをまだ準備していない。

2020年代半ばまでは石油需要の伸びは堅調に推移する。だが、その後は(2040年までに世界の自動車台数は現在の2倍になるにもかかわらず)高効率化と燃料転換により乗用車の石油消費量は減る。

それでも、他の分野からの十分な需要で、2040年まで石油需要は保たれる。最大なのは石油化学製品を生産するための需要であり、次いで陸運で、更に空運と海運。

The era of oil is not yet over
With the United States accounting for 80% of the increase in global oil supply to 2025 and maintaining near-term downward pressure on prices, the world’s consumers are not yet ready to say goodbye to the era of oil.

Up until the mid-2020s demand growth remains robust in the New Policies Scenario, but slows markedly thereafter as greater efficiency and fuel switching bring down oil use for passenger vehicles (even though the global car fleet doubles from today to reach 2 billion by 2040).

Powerful impetus from other sectors is enough to keep oil demand on a rising trajectory to 105 mb/d by 2040: oil use to produce petrochemicals is the largest source of growth, closely followed by rising consumption for trucks, for aviation and for shipping.

2017.10.14 IEA “World Energy Outlook 2017”

(社会保障経済研究所 代表 石川 和男 Twitter@kazuo_ishikawa)