What can be done to make flying more ecologically friendly? This is an issue that researchers, as well as airlines and aircraft manufacturers, have been debating for a long time. The ideal answer has yet to be discovered. Because all existing technology, such as synthetic fuels, electric aircraft, and hydrogen propulsion, has a drawback.
However, new research by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) suggests that hydrogen might play a bigger role in lowering CO 2 emissions in aircraft in the future. Politicians, on the other hand, must encourage the new technologies.
The research acknowledges that the technique has limitations. According to the ICCT, “these aircraft have a lower range than those using fossil fuels due to the bulk and volume of the hydrogen tank.” “However, model calculations reveal that produced narrow-body airplane with the engine can transport 165 passengers over 3400 kilometers.” Hydrogen-powered turboprop planes could transport 70 passengers over 1,400 kilometers.
“From a design standpoint, hydrogen-powered aircraft look extremely practical,” says research leader Jayant Mukhopadhaya of the ICCT. And the consequences would be palpable. “On short and medium-haul flights, when hydrogen-powered aircraft are cost-effective, these aircraft will emit almost no carbon.”
The study used the 2019 worldwide route network to test the feasibility of hydrogen flights. The result: By 2050, over a third of all flight kilometers, or 31 to 38 percent, might be carbon-free owing to hydrogen. The situation is different when it comes to the number of flights because long-haul planes traverse more kilometers. The group predicted that 57 to 63 percent of all passenger flights might be switched to hydrogen.
They underline, however, that without political backing, none of this will be possible. “Deploying hydrogen-powered aircraft would require major government backing,” said Dan Rutherford, ICCT director of aviation. “However, they are entitled to a fair playing field when it comes to sustainable aviation fuels, which are currently limited and costly.” Sustainable fuels are currently unsubsidized on a political level.
However, assistance for Sustainable Aviation Fuels is envisaged under the EU Fit for 55 initiative. The goal of the study is to demonstrate that hydrogen deserves the same attention as other fuels. “Hydrogen, like biokerosene, should be considered an alternative fuel,” argues ICCT’s Jayant Mukhopadhaya.
There is little doubt that hydrogen-powered aircraft will be available in the near future. For example, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury believes his company will have a hydrogen-powered airplane on the market by 2035. In Germany, the D328 Eco from Deutsche Aircraft is also being developed as a hydrogen-powered aircraft.
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “conduct unbiased analyses of the environmental compatibility and energy efficiency of road, sea, and air transportation.”
