In 2020, the European airspace giant, Airbus, announced plans to develop the first zero emission, hydrogen powered aircraft. This plan comes after the aviation industry contributed more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2019 alone. Airbus sees their plan as the only option of tackling decarbonization in the aviation industry, given recent failed attempts using different sources of power such as batteries. With this zero emission plan, Airbus hopes that competitors will follow in their footsteps. Airbus has received backing from major stakeholders, including the French, Spanish, and German governments who have all set out targets to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Airbus has given themselves five years to develop the aircraft, with hopes that it can enter service in 2035. Airbus released details of three designs, which all fall under the project title ZEROe, with each differing in size and style. All of the designs are meant to be zero emission, using hydrogen as their main source of power. The first design is an aircraft that would use turbofan engines, carry between 120 and 200 passengers, and have a range of over 2,000 nautical miles. The engine would be a modified gas turbine that would run on hydrogen as opposed to jet fuel, and would be stored behind the pressure bulkhead at the rear of the plane. Similarly, the second design would use turboprop engines and would also be powered using modified gas turbine engines, but it would have a smaller nautical range of just over 1,000 miles. The third design takes a more futuristic style approach, incorporating a “blended-wing body” concept in which the wings of the aircraft merge with the aircraft’s main body. This design would allow for 200 passengers per aircraft using hydrogen hybrid turbofan engines and a range of over 2,000 nautical miles. Airbus has stated that these concepts are still in the early stages, and it is not yet decided whether they will move forward with only one design or all three. However, the final design will depend on airlines’ willingness to adopt the new designs as well as passengers’ interest in low-carbon flights that will ultimately create a market and make these aircrafts an economically viable solution. Following the five-year research and development period, Airbus will require another one to two years to industrialize the aircraft before entering the testing and certification stage to determine whether the aircraft meets international aviation standards.
When deciding upon the source of energy for zero emission aircrafts, hydrogen was not Airbus’ first option. Airbus initially spent years debating over the use of batteries to store electricity on aircrafts in partnership with Rolls Royce Holdings Plc. However, this project came to an end when Airbus determined that the relatively low levels of energy that batteries produce would be insufficient for long haul flights and that the batteries themselves were too heavy for the aircrafts. According to the vice president of zero emission aircrafts at Airbus, Glenn Llewelleyn, “Hydrogen is the most promising energy type to allow us to power aircraft and aviation with renewable energy.” He also added that “Battery technology is not evolving at the pace required for us to achieve our ambition and this is where hydrogen comes in, it’s got several thousand times more energy per kilogram than what batteries could have today.” In comparison to fossil fuels, which produces carbon dioxide emissions when combusted, hydrogen mostly produces water vapor upon combustion. Currently, there are two methods of generating hydrogen, one which comes from natural gas or coal, and the other by running an electric current through water. In particular, the first method entails natural gas reforming, which produces carbon dioxide emissions and results in brown hydrogen, whilst the second method involves the splitting of water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen using renewable electricity. Airbus plans to focus on the latter, as this method does not produce carbon dioxide emissions.
While hydrogen is currently Airbus’ best bet at producing a zero-emission jet, there are challenges that persist. The majority of the hydrogen on the market today is produced via the first method of natural gas reforming. Airbus anticipates that fuel suppliers will upgrade their production of hydrogen to the greener method, which is projected to create an increased demand for clean hydrogen. In addition, Airbus is also grappling with the issue of storing hydrogen within the aircrafts since more of it is needed compared to the current blend of fossil fuels. As a result, the hydrogen cannot be stored in the wings of the aircraft but rather the body of the plane. There are some solutions on the table which include designing jets with an elongated tail for additional storage or placing the gas in pods under the wing or in the cheeks underneath the aircraft, but whether these solutions are feasible are yet to be determined.
The stakes are high for Airbus if their bet on hydrogen as a green fuel should fail. With this zero-emission plan, Airbus is currently a step ahead of their main competitor Boeing who is currently facing safety concerns regarding their Boeing Max aircraft. However, if their bet on hydrogen fails to reach the markets, Airbus could fall behind their main competitor, as Boeing has new aircraft models in their development pipeline. With these factors in mind, lowering costs throughout the production process could also give Airbus a competitive advantage. Since aviation is a consumer-facing industry, the plan for zero-emissions aircrafts will ultimately depend on whether or not Airbus is able to create an economically viable option that passengers can afford.
Sources:
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