Fossil fuels use has caused serious environmental impacts worldwide, mainly related with the greenhouse effect intensification. One strategy to mitigate such impacts is the use of hydrogen in combustion processes. Additionally, hydrogen can be utilized as an energy vector for storage purposes and is also classified as a fuel of the future, due to the low emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. The present paper shows results of a computational simulation carried out for the state of Ceara, Brazil, considering scenarios for the use of electrolytic hydrogen obtained with the use of photovoltaic (PV) modules and wind energy converters, as a substitute of fluid fossil fuels. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.