Scott Gardiner, KWM’s Co-Global Head of Projects, Energy and Resources, delivers his latest fun fact on hydrogen for anyone who shares his insatiable interest in this clean fuel of the future. In this post, Scott and Tiffany Kwong imagine taking a less guilt-laden flight on a hydrogen-fuelled aircraft. Industry innovators are targeting commercial flights by 2027.
Did you know that a round trip between New York and Lisbon generates similar emissions to that of the average person in the EU heating their home for one year? That fun (yet frightening?) fact is from the European Commission, which is working to cut aviation emissions as part of the European Green Deal. The aviation sector is the second largest source of transport greenhouse gas emissions (road transport is first on the pollution podium).
Promising innovation industry-wide
The aviation industry has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 using a mix of measures, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). Yet there are concerns over the ability to scale SAFs. This is where hydrogen has the potential to take off as an alternative, particularly for short-haul flights. And British Airways is backing hydrogen for its potential to fuel net-zero emission short-haul flights by 2050.
Initiatives include:
- The Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance was established in October 2023 by a group of leading companies in the UK aviation and renewable energy sector. Members include Airbus, easyJet and Rolls-Royce. The HIA will work towards accelerating the delivery of zero carbon aviation.
- Swiss aviation innovator Sirius Aviation AG has announced it will unveil its hydrogen-powered vertical lift-off aircraft. BMW and Sauber are among partners in the project. It might only carry five passengers, but its range is impressive – 1850 kilometres (1150 miles) at a speed of 520kpm (323mph).
- Airbus’s ZEROe project wants to make the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft by 2035. Airbus has revealed that it is developing a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine, and is building the first liquid hydrogen refuelling facility for aircraft together with ArianeGroup (a joint venture by Airbus and Safran). Airbus UpNext has also launched a new program to trial the use of hydrogen fuel cell for the onboard Auxiliary Power Unit. This powers non-propulsive aircraft functions such as air conditioning and onboard lighting.
- Startups are refitting existing mechanical structures of planes. Known as airframes, this includes the engine, fuselage (main body) and landing gear. And they’re seeing results.
- UK /US aviation startup ZeroAvia successfully flew a 19-seat aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cell engine using compressed gaseous hydrogen in January t2023. ZeroAvia has set a target to deliver zero-emission 9-to-19 seat aircraft by 2025 and 40-to-80 seat aircraft by 2027 for commercial operation. Airbus, co-led with Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital and NEOM, has invested in ZeroAvia’s latest round of financing.
- US-based Universal Hydrogen Co flew a larger 40-passenger regional airliner using hydrogen fuel cell propulsion in March 2023 (interestingly, the aircraft is nicknamed Lightning McClean… visit our article on hydrogen vehicles for a nod to this name!). Universal Hydrogen passed another milestone in September 2023 when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepted its application for a Supplemental Type Certificate for the conversion of ATR 72 regional airliners powered by its hydrogen modules. It also received a G-1 Issue Paper from the FAA, which is a key document in establishing the certification criteria needed to convert its ATR 72 to hydrogen power.
- German-based H2FLY piloted the world’s first electric aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen in September 2023.
A lot is happening in the hydrogen aircraft space. Stay tuned for the next fun fact in this series – and subscribe to KWM Pulse for updates.
Want to know more about this clean fuel of the future?
You can read more from our experts worldwide on KWM’s Hydrogen page. To share your own favourite hydrogen fun fact, visit Scott’s LinkedIn page.
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