The aviation industry has been turning its attention to the development of hydrogen planes to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel and the massive carbon footprint it leaves behind.

The aviation sector should not be an exception to the expectation that renewable hydrogen will help many businesses fulfill their climate commitments. It is projected that hydrogen has the potential to cut aviation’s CO2 emissions by up to 50%.

In an effort to expedite the shift to net zero, the organizers introduced the new Aerospace Global Forum following the pandemic.

The Target True Zero report outlined the new role zero-emission propulsion technology will be playing in the efforts the aerospace industry is making toward decarbonization. It has focused on three different primary decarbonization efforts:

• Encouraging collaboration among leaders across the ecosystem for the development of fact-based alternative propulsion and perspectives.
• Mobilizing various stakeholders to act in ways that will launch and accelerate clean the aviation technology transition.
• Making certain alternative propulsion potential is adequate to address the climate impact of aviation and that it is made a reality.

Choosing a battery electric or hydrogen planes is only the first step to decarbonization.

Reducing a flight’s emissions is only one component of the decarbonization issue though.

When calculating the total emissions of any particular aircraft, two factors must be taken into account: the production process for hydrogen fuel in airplanes, including hydrogen planes, and the manufacture and replacement of batteries for electric aircraft.

A particularly important benefit for hydrogen planes is that electricity generated using solar and wind power, for example, does not produce greenhouse gas emissions and reduces the warming impact of CO2.

Nowadays, aviation is responsible for 3.6% of EU greenhouse gas emissions. Modern planes use kerosene as fuel, releasing harmful carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Nowadays, the majority of the hydrogen used in the world is created by reforming methane from fossil fuels like natural gas, which creates carbon dioxide.

Efforts are underway to create green hydrogen, aiming to reduce emissions during its manufacture by converting water into oxygen and hydrogen using an electric current from a renewable source. If successful, coupled with the absence of emissions from the planes themselves, including hydrogen planes, aviation could evolve into a truly green form of travel.

Working jointly with Universal H2, Universal Kraft develops green hydrogen solutions to maximize renewable energy’s decarbonization potential. Discover our solutions here.