CORMSIS Seminar - How can countries scale hydrogen and make aviation sustainable? by John Beasley (ARUP) Event

Event details

Ever since aviation became a mainstream mode of transport, the sector has been an incredible engine for civilisation’s advances – shrinking distances, connecting nations, leading to huge amounts of economic growth and development. A resolution was passed by IATA member airlines committing them to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from their operations by 2050. With that commitment comes the most significant reconfiguration of the industry in its history, with implications for aeroplane design, fuel infrastructure, business models and physical infrastructure. As a world we need air travel to thrive, but the transition required will be unlike anything we’ve countenanced before. All this change flows from the need to transform how the aircraft themselves are powered. Three complementary approaches are emerging as plausible solutions for storing the required energy onboard an aircraft: so-called sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), electric batteries and, most recently, hydrogen. Each technology has a unique set of benefits and challenges meaning that no single approach is a panacea for aviation – but each has a key role to play in decarbonising different sectors within the industry. This talk looks at why hydrogen is so promising, along with some of the challenges to be overcome for its potential to be realised.