[{"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\/9686\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\u003EGreen aviation takes wing with electric aircraft designs\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the aviation industry emerges from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, when passenger numbers plummeted, the number of flights is increasing again. The industry is recovering to pre-pandemic levels of air passenger journeys, with some estimates forecasting over 40% growth by 2050.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn general, crises aside, air passenger travel tends to double every 15 years, with the aviation sector also proving one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It currently accounts for 2% of global GHG emissions, but this is forecast to potentially triple by 2050 from 2015 levels on its existing trajectory.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGiven that the European Green Deal calls for climate-neutrality by 2050, a green reset is called for to improve the sustainability of aviation.\u0026nbsp;Follow the link to learn more about the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/clima\/eu-action\/transport-emissions\/reducing-emissions-aviation_en#global-scheme-to-offset-emissions\u0022\u003Emeasures the EU is advocating to reduce aviation emissions\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAviation is becoming more efficient with engine improvements, but decarbonisaton calls for alternatives to today\u2019s fossil fuel-hungry aircraft.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHybrid-electric and full-electric propulsion systems offer one answer. Such powertrains are already gaining traction on the ground, with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iea.org\/news\/global-electric-car-sales-have-continued-their-strong-growth-in-2022-after-breaking-records-last-year\u0022\u003Eglobal sales of electric cars doubling last year to 6.6 million\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENumerous projects are under way for aviation to follow suit, but they face many challenges, not least of which is the sheer weight of batteries. Follow the link to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu\/en\/horizon-magazine\/how-hybrid-electric-and-fuel-aircraft-could-green-air-travel\u0022\u003Eread more about sustainable aircraft design in Horizon Magazine\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet finding environmentally friendly alternatives that are simultaneously high-performance and profitable is of \u2018paramount importance\u2019, said Fabio Russo, head of research and development at aircraft manufacturer Tecnam in Capua, Italy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EScalability\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERusso led the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/769392\u0022\u003EH3PS \u003C\/a\u003E(High Power High Scalability Aircraft Hybrid Powertrain) project, which investigated the potential of hybrid-electric systems in so-called \u2018general aviation\u2019 (GA) aircraft.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECovering more than 400 000 civilian aircraft around the world, this category includes private planes, business jets, helicopters and more, but not commercial airliners.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs aircraft that tend to be relatively small, the H3PS initiative views them as a first step towards developing electric propulsion systems for wider flights.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We need environmental solutions today, and the H3PS project was done to prove an efficient, low-weight and scalable solution,\u2019 said Russo.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Scalable means you can move this concept from a four-seater aircraft up to an 11-seater or, eventually, more-seater aircraft.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHybrid powertrain\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project also involved Rolls-Royce and engine manufacturer Rotax. One of its objectives was to fly a four-seater aircraft powered by what\u2019s known as a \u2018parallel hybrid powertrain\u2019 \u2013 combining both a traditional internal combustion engine and an electric motor.\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\u003EAt the end of the flight, when we measured the fuel we consumed, the difference was remarkable.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EFabio Russo, H3PS\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe hybrid propulsion system can give a power \u2018boost\u2019 to the aircraft during flight phases such as take-off and climb, says Russo.\u0026nbsp;With a hybrid, you can, for example, use a fuel engine with a lower power than normal and fill the gap for the aircraft to take off and climb with an electric motor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018You can therefore have access to a lower-consumption fuel engine,\u2019 said Russo.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis approach enables a reduced engine size and weight, allowing the battery for the electric motor to be included without adding significant weight to the system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELate last year, the project succeeded in taking to the skies with its Tecnam P2010 H3PS aircraft. As the first four-seater to do this using a parallel hybrid system, H3PS \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.tecnam.com\/tecnam-p2010-h3ps-hybrid-aircraft-takes-to-the-skies-for-the-first-time-a-milestone-in-green-aviation\/\u0022\u003Ehighlighted the achievement\u003C\/a\u003E as \u2018a major milestone on the aviation industry\u2019s journey towards decarbonisation and R\u0026amp;D on alternative powertrains.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBattery economy\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENevertheless, Russo emphasised that the project was about demonstrating the feasibility for such aircraft rather than creating a product for market. There is some way to go to make them a reality on a wide scale, he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There are still quite a lot of limits in terms of economics behind developing this kind of engine and aircraft,\u2019 said Russo.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne key limiting factor is how the batteries deteriorate as they cycle through recharges. This means there is a high cost to keep replacing them on timescales that, at present, Russo estimates may be as little as a few months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022The first flight of the P2010 H3PS hybrid aircraft. \u00a9 Tecnam, 2021\/22\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u0022d62de09d-a5ee-4d1a-8091-30b0540a76ce\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/H5-scaled-1-1536x847.jpeg\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EThe first flight of the P2010 H3PS hybrid aircraft. \u00a9 Tecnam, 2021\/22\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe believes improvements rest on a real drive, backed by support from the battery-manufacturing industry, to boost battery technology, while reducing shipping and decommissioning costs, and enhancing the circular economy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018A local economy for battery manufacturing is essential,\u2019 said Russo. \u2018This will also mean that CO2 is not saved only during operation, but well before and after the battery\u2019s use in an aircraft.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe added that for aircraft components as a whole, focus is required on the full end-to-end lifecycle and impact of products.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EViable hybrids\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERusso believes such hybrid aircraft could become more economically viable by about 2030, with the potential to save significantly on emissions in certain flight phases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne test his team performed indicated a potential 50% reduction in carbon emissions during take-off and initial climb, and 20% during the whole three-hour journey, suggested by the lower amount of fuel used.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018At the end of the flight, when we measured the fuel we consumed, the difference was remarkable,\u2019 said Russo.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther projects are investigating how to optimise different components for future electric propulsion aviation systems to make them as lightweight as possible, as well as safe and efficient.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EElectromagnetic interference\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/875504\u0022\u003EEASIER project\u003C\/a\u003E has been designing systems to limit electromagnetic interference (EMI) between components that may affect an aircraft\u2019s functioning.\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\u003EAny change that we make to an aircraft to make it greener could potentially increase its weight (which) also increases the amount of fuel consumed (...) We need to make things smaller.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Ignacio Castro, EASIER \u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team is also investigating thermal methods to better dissipate heat generated by electrical components. That is all while trying to ensure the aircraft remain lightweight, taking the size and weight of current batteries into account.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Ignacio Castro, a senior principal engineer at Collins Aerospace, based in Cork, Ireland, is the coordinator for EASIER. He said the project has been looking into EMI filtering and wiring options with lower volume and weight for electrical powertrains in aircraft, plus \u2018two-phase\u2019 cooling systems and methods to improve rates of heat transfer to an aircraft\u2019s exterior.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe explained that there\u2019s a need to prepare now for the long-term future of electric systems. \u2018Any change that we make to an aircraft to make it greener could potentially increase the weight of the aircraft,\u2019 said Dr Castro.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018That also increases the amount of fuel consumed, so we might not have an aircraft that is fully ready for flight. We need to make things smaller.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of EASIER\u2019s upcoming work involves more investigation of the trade-offs between methods. \u2018The idea is that we will see how the thermal systems are affecting the EMI and vice versa, to see what the implications are,\u2019 said Dr Castro.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETrade-offs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are all kinds of other trade-offs to understand when it comes to manufacturing electric aircraft. For example, while making things smaller decreases weight, it can cause things to heat up faster too \u2013 much like a small house warms up quicker when heated. \u2018That\u2019s the kind of trade-off with weight, size and efficiency, and it\u2019s not that simple,\u2019 said Dr Castro.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe added that integrating all the individual technologies into a well-functioning overall aircraft system will be key in future research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s about understanding what the architectures should look like to be made as efficient as possible,\u2019 said Dr Castro.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComparing it to construction, he stressed that you can\u2019t just throw bricks together in any way to make a building. \u2018You need to put things together in a way that\u2019s smart in the context of power delivery,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERight direction\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough there are many complex issues to resolve in electric aviation, Dr Castro believes things are starting to move in the right direction. \u2018I think we\u2019re taking the right paths towards hybrid-electric aviation, and there\u2019s a lot of interest and many programmes,\u2019 he said. \u2018That would be the first step to start reducing carbon emissions.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEnsuring these new systems run smoothly and safely is also essential. Safety is paramount and a single crash is enough to generate big headlines and plenty of fear.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat means a need to take significant care with developments. \u2018There\u2019s a risk saying things are going to be great, particularly when things need to be extremely reliable for aircraft,\u2019 pointed out Dr Castro. \u2018It\u2019s a paradigm shift in technology.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is also much investment needed and many questions to address in the coming decades, he said. \u2018The challenge towards net-zero emissions in the EU by 2050 is a huge challenge, and I don\u2019t think at the moment anyone has a definite answer,\u2019 said Dr Castro. \u2018It\u2019s the one-million dollar question.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-95oelvv87hakhqjvlfeddvaxwatqji8kcbzqn56dzak\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-95oelVV87hAKHQJVLFeDdvaXWAtqJI8kCBzqN56DZAk\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]