[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7272\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EQuiet and green: Why hydrogen planes could be the future of aviation\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne possible solution is to use a new type of fuel in planes that doesn\u2019t produce harmful emissions \u2013 hydrogen. Long-touted as a sustainable fuel, hydrogen is now gaining serious traction as a possibility for aviation, and already tests are under way to prove its effectiveness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlanes using hydrogen would emit only water, and initial tests suggest they can be just as fast as traditional planes, carrying more than a hundred passengers per flight over thousands of kilometres. A recent \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fch.europa.eu\/publications\/hydrogen-powered-aviation\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ereport on the potential of hydrogen-powered aviation\u003C\/a\u003E said such planes could enter the market as soon as 2035.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are still significant challenges to make this happen. But if they can be overcome, the future of aviation could be much greener than it is today and be a functioning component of a decarbonised world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPropellers\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHydrogen planes would be similar aesthetically to traditional planes, albeit with a slightly longer length needed. Smaller planes would likely use propellers, with hydrogen-powered fuel cells providing electric propulsion to turn the propellers. Bigger planes could burn hydrogen to power jet engines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe hydrogen-powered aviation report, released on June 22, said that hydrogen could feasibly be used by 2035 to power a commercial passenger aircraft on a flight of up to 3,000 kilometres. By 2040 or beyond, a medium-range flight of up to 7,000 kilometres should also be possible, leaving just long-range flights for traditional aviation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018By 2035 it should be possible for a short-range flight plane,\u2019 said Dr Bart Biebuyck, executive director of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, a European public-private partnership to accelerate the market introduction of these technologies, which jointly commissioned the report. \u2018That means on European soil, you could connect all the big cities in Europe using hydrogen-powered planes. By 2050, the ambitious scenario is that 40 % of the (European aviation) fleet would be powered by hydrogen.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReaching these goals will rely on a number of factors. First and foremost, hydrogen storage technologies need to advance to carry enough liquid hydrogen in planes for these journeys. New ways of transporting hydrogen to airports will need to be devised so that planes can be refuelled on runways. And redesigns of plane interiors will be required to work out how to integrate all the necessary systems and tubing to run commercial planes on hydrogen.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018With integration, nothing has been done yet on a big plane,\u2019 said Dr Biebuyck. \u2018That will be a big challenge. And we still need to prepare a lot of standards, codes, and regulations. For example, what would be the requirement for hydrogen tanks testing for aviation? Still a lot of this research has not been done.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProgress has been made, however, in developing the underlying technology of hydrogen planes. In 2008, Boeing flew the world\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2008\/04\/in-an-aviation\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Efirst hydrogen-powered plane\u003C\/a\u003E from an airfield near Madrid, Spain, a single-seater vehicle that proved the technology was possible. And in 2016 the first \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theengineer.co.uk\/fuel-cell-aircraft-hy4-makes-maiden-flight\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Efour-seater hydrogen plane,\u003C\/a\u003E built in Germany by the German aeronautical research agency (DLR), the University of Ulm and a company called H2FLY, lifted off from Stuttgart Airport.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018We cannot beat climate change without aviation being decarbonised.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Bart Biebuyck, Executive Director, FCH JU \u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFour components\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHydrogen planes essentially have four major components \u2013 a storage system to safely store liquid hydrogen, fuel cells to convert hydrogen to electricity, a device to control the power of the cells, and then a motor to turn a propeller. In order to make full commercial planes, all of these four areas must be developed sufficiently.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Spain, a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/826247\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EHEAVEN\u003C\/a\u003E is working on integrating these components into an experimental plane. It is developing a powertrain to turn the propellers at high speed using electric power, along with similar liquid hydrogen storage systems to those that have been used in cars.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This will be the first liquid hydrogen storage system (for planes), which will be connected with a fuel cell and an electric motor, and then flown in a flight test,\u2019 said Dr Josef Kallo from the DLR and a member of the HEAVEN team. \u2018The hydrogen storage (made by French firm Air Liquide) is built and will be finished this year. Next year will be integration time. And then the end of 2022 we will go into flight.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe powertrain being developed by the project turns the hydrogen into torque to turn the propeller. It is highly efficient and also quiet to run, producing about the same amount of noise as an internal combustion engine in a car \u2013 meaning passengers should have a pleasant, quiet flight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor a 45-seater aircraft, a hydrogen-powered propeller plane will be capable of speeds of up to 600 kilometres per hour, compared to 850 kilometres per hour for a Boeing 747, according to Dr Kallo. While the focus at the moment is on propellers, there is also work underway to develop hydrogen-powered turbines, which are more efficient at higher speeds. \u2018(A parallel) step would be to use turbine-type propulsion, using high-speed motors, which are relatively low noise,\u2019 Dr Kallo added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGreen aviation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost of the world\u2019s hydrogen today is produced by reforming methane from natural gas \u2013 a fossil fuel - which produces carbon dioxide. Efforts are underway, however, to develop \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/article\/can-we-produce-enough-green-hydrogen-save-world.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Egreen hydrogen\u003C\/a\u003E by using an electric current from a renewable source to convert water into oxygen and hydrogen, and reduce emissions in its production. If that is possible, along with no emissions from the planes themselves, aviation could become a truly green form of travel.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018By 2050 we need to (become) a carbon-neutral society, and the aviation sector needs to contribute,\u2019 said Dr Biebuyck. \u2018Of course, it is not only aviation that will have to adapt. We all need to work together. But we cannot beat climate change without aviation being decarbonised.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEurope looks set to have a major part to play in this, with it leading the development of many hydrogen-driven technologies, including hydrogen planes. \u2018Europe is very far in front,\u2019 said Dr Kallo. \u2018There are some projects in the US and China. But they haven\u2019t shown the level of progress we have.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd it could very well be that in the coming decades, your flight from Paris to Madrid or Munich to Rome could be on a green, clean flying machine, one that produces no emissions and has no impact on climate change \u2013 an exciting glimpse at our decarbonised future.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This is really a chance to switch from hydrocarbon-based aviation to hydrogen aviation,\u2019 said Dr Kallo.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EIn order for Europe to fully achieve the environmental benefits of hydrogen-powered the production of clean \u2013 or green \u2013 hydrogen needs to be dramatically scaled up.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClean hydrogen is produced from water using an electric current from a renewable source, rather than from fossil fuels. Today only a tiny fraction of hydrogen used in Europe is clean.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn 8 July the EU published a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/fs_20_1296\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ehydrogen strategy\u003C\/a\u003E setting out a vision for how Europe can scale up the production, distribution and storage of clean hydrogen.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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