Hydrogen season is approaching, according to Airbus. Cited as the future oil for many years, Guillaume Faury, chief architect, says the company is ready to start developing a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft in less than a decade.
A European pilot strongly believes that 2035 is “a real and true” for hydrogen aircraft, although he is skeptical of some industry leaders about how the air could affect air quality.
“We don’t need to change the laws of science to fit hydrogen. Hydrogen has three times the energy of kerosene – [technically it] are designed to operate aircraft, “Faury told reporters at an Airbus-based event in Toulouse.
Faury’s comments show that Airbus’ confidence is growing so that the company can meet the technical challenges and security required for hydrogen-powered aircraft to operate. Faury warned, however, that government and legal aid would be needed.
Airbus, says Faury, is expected to have a “guaranteed guarantee” of operating and fuel availability by 2027/28, at which point the company will choose to invest billions in the new hydrogen aircraft program.
“These [decarbonisation] “The challenge is not just about the planes, it’s about having the right fuel – hydrogen – at the right time, at the right place, at the right price and not something that aircraft can fly on its own,” he said.
Faury’s comments confirm the rapid emergence of the aviation industry as it strives to meet its impending demand by 2050. Prior to the epidemic, with the introduction of more international ships, air traffic controls about 2.4% of global emissions.
The risk of air pollution has increased since the crisis. The conference in Toulouse brought together planes, airports and policymakers to promote a more efficient way to burn less fuel.
The electronics industry uses a number of different technologies, from “jet fuel” to electric batteries and hydrogen. Rolls-Royce, a UK aero-engineer, is here testing all electronic aircraft. Many are also supporting a new initiative that promises to improve urban transportation by using taxis.
In Toulouse, John Holland-Kaye, head of the airport in Heathrow, appealed to airlines to support the use of fuel, telling the audience: “If we don’t reach zero by 2050, we will not be in business. for the smooth running of airplanes. ”
Airbus, along with its partners, agrees that there is no “silver bullet” and that a variety of solutions will be needed to address the problem of decarbonisation. He also works in a variety of technologies, including aviation fuel.
But there are remnants of the speed at which the industry can make hydrogen happen and Airbus ’interest is not shared by anyone.
“At Airbus, we decided to take the cow and the horns,” Faury said. “We’ve seen engine manufacturers change their minds about hydrogen, which is pretty good.”
Aircraft designers in Europe are working on a number of different tasks zero output ideas, all of which rely on hydrogen as their main energy source.
The incidence of technical difficulties is enormous. Sabine Klauke, chief technology officer at Airbus, said the need to drink hydrogen water and keep it at 253 degrees is a clear problem. The special double skin tanks required to contain the product are four times the size of the standard oil storage and must be inserted into the body of the aircraft.
While technical barriers can be overcome, the costs required to produce “green” hydrogen production and renewable resources, to change storage in airports and supporting equipment, will be huge. Following the epidemic European governments, particularly France and Germany, have made significant investments in helping companies to access energy sources, including the use of hydrogen.
Airbus says it will probably initially build a regional or shorter aircraft.
Critics say the biggest toilets at the industry come as a result of overcrowding – 73% of carbon dioxide emissions come from medium and long-distance flights, according to the Air Transport Action Group.
Alan Epstein, a former industrialist and professor of Aeronautics at MIT, says that air-conditioning is the only solution for commercial aviation.
“Not only do you want to reduce CO2, you want to be depleted by 2050. Time is of the essence and the solution that is needed instead of the trillion-dollar aircraft and airport infrastructure and technology that will not mature for a decade or two will not get you there,” he said.
“The economic viability of hydrogen aircraft over the next 20 years is strongly influenced by national and legal principles rather than technical or financial. They are the laws that can lay the foundations for the economy,” added Epstein.
David Joffe, from the UK Climate Change Committee, the government advisory body, similarly doubts that hydrogen is the answer.
“We need answers before they are due,” he said, pointing out that the aircraft purchased today will “continue to operate in 2050”.
Although fuel prices for airplanes are rising compared to conventional kerosene, the committee estimates that in the meantime, using more fuel will add up to $ 80 to the cost of a return ticket from London to New York.
In the Airbus Boeing competition, engineers are also using technologies such as hydrogen and electricity, but the company has made it clear that it believes the potential for gas is over.
“My approach does not include – from now until 2050, it does not include the introduction of a hydrogen-powered aircraft to the standard of the aircraft we are talking about,” Boeing chief Dave Calhoun told a research conference in June.
Instead, he also mentioned the redevelopment of ships, such as planes taking off for better flights, as well as fuel for moving planes as necessary future measures.
“Technology works, we know,” he said of Permanent Fuel. “The question is important and growing.”
As these companies emerge from the effects of the epidemic and pilots begin to reconsider their growth, one thing that is clear is that companies need to change.
“Our travelers are expecting a change. If you don’t do the right thing, you may not be in business, ”said David Morgan, director of flight operations at easyJet.