Aviation firm: Airbus announces three different concepts that run on hydrogen with aim of taking to the skies by 2035. The three concepts – all codenamed “ZEROe” would be the first climate neutral zero-emission commercial aircrafts. Here their details:
“This is a historic moment for the commercial aviation sector as a whole and we intend to play a leading role in the most important transition this industry has ever seen. The concepts we unveil today offer the world a glimpse of our ambition to drive a bold vision for the future of zero-emission flight, I strongly believe that the use of hydrogen – both in synthetic fuels and as a primary power source for commercial aircraft – has the potential to significantly reduce aviation’s climate impact.” — Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO
Hydrogen can be made by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen particles using an electrolyser machine powered by renewable electricity, or even nuclear energy. But it can also be made from fossil fuel gas in a process that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, meaning it would not be a clean energy source without using carbon capture technology during the process.
Thus, the company stresses the importance of lowering the cost of renewable energy for aviation to run fully on “green hydrogen” and have the smallest carbon footprint possible.
Can this dream become a reality or is it too good to be true? We think heavy subsidies will have to ensue…
Sources: The Guardian & Airbus