Hydrogen propulsion is emerging as an increasingly favored path to net zero carbon air transport, with several companies working on technology for both new and converted aircraft. But certifying hydrogen-powered aircraft is just one part of the equation, with the industry facing myriad complex considerations about how the operations will be supported, and how environmentally sustainable and commercially viable they might prove to be in practice.
These are the questions that Alton Aviation Consultancy has addressed in a new white paper entitled Hydrogen Aircraft and Implications for Aviation Infrastructure, authored by Mabel Kwan, Joshua Ng, and Zhen Ying Cheah. On balance, the company views the fuel as a strong prospect for cutting carbon levels, with the proviso that green hydrogen production, which involves splitting water via electrolysis, is by some distance the cleanest option.
Alton’s team is urging the industry to take a hard look at the inevitable trade-offs in aircraft performance that a transition away from fossil fuels will entail. They also spell out in some detail the significant need for investment in the complex infrastructure required to underpin the widespread availability of hydrogen, which the white paper stresses is by no means a flawless solution to aviation’s environmental challenges.
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