Is Hydrogen the Answer to Zero Emissions Planes?

5 min read

The global airlines market is expected to reach $744 billion by 2026, with roughly 100 000 flights worldwide every day. Aircrafts are responsible for 2.5% of global emissions, and that number is increasing. Air travel is the one mode of transportation that has been slow to adopt the use of clean fuel. However, the industry has agreed to reach net 0 emissions by 2050.

A possible solution to this could be electric aircrafts. Electric aircraft are still in the research and development stages. They also have batteries with a low energy density, resulting in limited range. And even if the capacity of the batteries is increased, the batteries will become too heavy.

Hydrogen may be a clean solution to both problems. It has the highest energy per mass of any fuel. It is about 3 to 4 times lighter than jet fuel on an equivalent energy basis and doesn’t release greenhouse gases. It is already being used as fuel in launching space rockets.

Hydrogen can either be used to power a hydrogen combustion engine which powers the turbines on a plane, or it can be used together with a fuel cell which creates electricity that turns an electric turboprop that acts as an engine. In both methods water vapour is emitted, but according to senior associate at AeroDynamic Advisory, Martha Neubauer, hydrogen fuel cells are more efficient.

According to founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, Val Miftakhov, the energy density of hydrogen fuel is three times better than jet fuel, meaning that hydrogen flights can go longer distances than traditional planes. The company uses a hydrogen fuel cell to power their plane. Hydrogen and oxygen react chemically to produce electricity, heat and water. The electricity turns a propeller which powers the plane to fly. ZeroAvia flew a six-seater hydrogen fuel cell aircraft, a first in the industry. They are now building a 20-seater aircraft for more commercial use.

Challenges:

Space – hydrogen infrastructure on planes takes up a lot of space. This will have to result in less space for passengers and cargo, decreasing per flight revenue.

Cost – flying on hydrogen is currently more expensive than using jet fuel. Taking the decreased revenue from the lack of space into account compounds this cost difference.

Efficiency – jet fuel engines are still more efficient.

Regulation – even once manufacturers deem hydrogen planes ready for commercial flight, it can take years for them to get regulated.

Infrastructure – hydrogen planes will need hydrogen infrastructure, ideally in airports, where hydrogen is kept for refuelling. Universal Hydrogen has built a capsule to transport liquid hydrogen and to plug into hydrogen planes like how batteries are inserted into electric vehicles.

Synthesising hydrogen – to make aviation truly net zero, hydrogen production will also have to be net zero. Currently, most hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels.

The #1 Challenge

The biggest challenge will be getting an availability of hydrogen charging infrastructure. Universal Hydrogen is working on a 2kW engine that will power planes carrying up to 55 passengers. They have also developed modular capsules which contain hydrogen liquid and can be carried inside the belly of a plane to refuel the plane while it flies. The company aims to deliver its first fully hydrogen flight in Denmark by the end of 2025 through a collaboration with DAT and Everfuel. American Airlines recently joined JetBlue, Airbus and GE Aviation as investors in Universal Hydrogen.

ZeroAvia plans to launch their first fully hydrogen electric commercial passenger flight in a 19-seater plane from London to Rotterdam in 2024.

Airbus has also revealed their plans to roll out 3 hydrogen passenger planes by 2035 and to fit one of its A380s with hydrogen burning engines. This modified plane will have a fifth engine, powered by hydrogen, which will be mounted on the rear fuselage. Being the largest plane in their fleet, the A380 will have enough room to store the 400kg of hydrogen needed to complete the flight.

The aircraft manufacturing giant is also exploring having a hybrid between a hydrogen fuel cell and a hydrogen combustion aircraft. The ZeroE, Airbus’ experimental aircraft, is expected to have a cruise speed of 828 km/h and carry less than 200 passengers. They also plan to fly the A380 with a hydrogen engine by 2026.

They have received over $140 million in investments from airlines and funds backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. The company also presells hydrogen jet engines that it will manufacture in the near future. The company has also built a 1.8MW hydrogen electric motor system for a 76-seater plane its developing with Alaska Airlines.

Universal Hydrogen develops infrastructure for hydrogen planes and develops hydrogen planes themselves. They’ve replaced the fuel engines on a plane with a fuel cell and an electric motor producing 2MW of power on each side. They successfully conducted a test flight in March 2023, but only converted one engine and kept the other fuel engine for safety reasons. Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen, claims that they were able to cruise exclusively on hydrogen power and that it is the largest plane ever to fly hydrogen fuel cells. The company plans to bring its conversion kit to the market in late 2025.

Jet fuel is still cheaper than hydrogen, but that is expected to change as it becomes ever more expensive to extract fossil fuels and as the cost for green projects decrease due to tax deductions, technological breakthroughs and higher scalability.

Although the initial cost of hydrogen production is high, the operating costs become low once the production facilities are set up. The lack of charging infrastructure, difficulty of transportation and certain gaps in technology are still some hindrances to fully hydrogen and emissions free flying.

What do you think of hydrogen planes? Is this the direction that aviation should be heading?

Do you think fully hydrogen flights will be possible in our generation? Let us know in the comments below! Share your thoughts by replying to this email!

For more information on hydrogen planes, or any other energy related articles, view the blog posts on my website and be sure to open my weekly emails every Tuesday at 9AM CAT.

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