The technology for completely emission-free flights is a few years away. But travel in the blue can be made green today. If you're willing to pay for it.
Hydrogen is increasingly being touted as the sustainable fuel of the future for heavier transport, provided it is produced with green electricity. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus is developing completely new aircraft where the combustion engine uses hydrogen, with a target of 2035.
The American company Universal Hydrogen expects to be in the air using hydrogen as early as 2025. They are investing in rebuilding existing 50-seat propeller planes for flights up to 1000 kilometers, using a new electric motor that gets its power from a fuel cell that uses hydrogen to produce electricity with water as the only emission.
– We have chosen to use technology and aircraft that already exist today, because if aviation is to contribute to reaching the Paris Agreement's emissions targets, we must act now, says co-founder Jason Chua.
”Electric planes are cheaper to operate”
Electric flights are also underway. Swedish Heart Aerospace is set to have its first battery-powered plane in the air in 2026. With 19 seats, it will initially have a range of 400 kilometers. For example, the airline BRA plans to operate Stockholm-Visby with such a machine from 2027.
– We shouldn't let go of the other tracks with hydrogen and biofuel. But this is something we can do on the shorter routes. What's unique about electricity is that we get such a much better economy with this. An electric plane is cheaper to operate, explains Heart's founder and CEO Anders Forslund.
But already today, fossil-free fuels such as biofuel could reduce a large part of aviation's carbon dioxide emissions, with current engines. However, the demand is not so great that production has started properly. The price is therefore still four to five times as expensive as fossil aviation fuel. For example, a Stockholm-London flight that normally costs 1800 SEK with SAS, becomes 700 SEK more expensive if you choose to pay extra for biofuel in full.
– There will come a time when it is included, within a decade it may only cost 300 SEK more. Then we will have greater demand from a broader audience than today, believes SAS's sustainability manager Lars Andersen Resare.
Need the right incentives?
BRA's sustainability manager Maria Fiskerud believes that biofuel baked into the ticket price will happen sooner.
– We hope to start testing including it in the price of certain trips already this year.
American airline United promises to be completely emission-free by 2050. Its sustainability manager Lauren Riley is calling for government help and guidance to accelerate investments in new technology and sustainable aviation fuels.
– We will need the authorities to create the right incentives, there is no doubt about that.
Source.svt.se
