Airbus develops new and innovative hydrogen-powered aircraft, with aims to achieve zero emissions during operation.
Here’s an article posted in Green Car Congress.
According to the article,
- Revolutionary Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft: Airbus introduces a groundbreaking concept for a hydrogen-powered aircraft, challenging traditional aviation norms.
- Zero Emissions: The hydrogen-based aircraft aims to achieve zero emissions during operation, addressing environmental concerns in the aviation industry.
- Green Aviation Technology: Airbus focuses on developing cutting-edge, sustainable aviation technology to reduce the carbon footprint of air travel.
Developments like these are sure to incur a huge cost, given the relatively high cost of hydrogen infrastructure at the moment. However, the cost of hydrogen fuel compared to traditional aviation fuels will evolve over time:
In the short term (by 2035):
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- The cost of hydrogen fuel is projected to be 2-4 times higher per megawatt hour (MWh) than conventional jet fuel.
- Running planes on hydrogen could be 8% more expensive than using kerosene in 2035. However, with a tax on fossil jet fuel and a price on carbon, hydrogen planes could become 2% cheaper to operate than kerosene planes.
- The annual liquid hydrogen cost was 4.7–5.2 times higher than jet fuel in 2020 due to the high production cost, but after 2030 it will be maintained at almost the same level.
In the long term (by 2050):
- By 2050, the fuel cost of a hydrogen plane is forecast to be €0.034/RPK (revenue passenger kilometer). For comparison, the projected cost of a fossil kerosene/sustainable aviation fuel blend would be €0.031/RPK if the fossil part pays a carbon price of €127/tonne. This cost would go up to €0.040/RPK if the blend is taxed.
- The same flight on a hydrogen plane in 2050 would be 3.0% more expensive than on a jet aircraft with an untaxed sustainable aviation fuel/jet fuel blend, and 0.5% cheaper than with a taxed blend.
Interestingly, we have some other posts related to this content:
First Continental Hydrogen Aircraft: HRS and Beyond Aero’s Plans – HRS and Beyond Aero signed an agreement to develop the first hydrogen aircraft for continental flights, featuring a hydrogen fuel cell and several hydrogen storage tanks. First Flight Of Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft Achieved by Destinus – Destinus, a European startup, achieved the first successful flight of its hydrogen-powered aircraft, utilizing new hydrogen afterburners developed in-house and integrated with an existing jet turbine engine. Green Hydrogen in Aviation: Possibilities and Plans – Experts predict that by 2050, around a third of aviation could be powered by hydrogen, with Airbus planning to launch the world’s first commercial hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035. Hydrogen Regional Airliner: The Future of Clean Aviation Projects – The Clean Aviation European initiative is working on projects to develop greener aircraft technologies, including electric propulsion systems, hydrogen and hybrid gas turbine designs, and the next generation of high-power fuel cells.
