Full Title: Hydrogen Policy’s Narrow Path: Delusions And Solutions: Hydrogen for Aviation
Author(s): Energy Innovation
Publisher(s): Energy Innovation
Publication Date: September 5, 2024
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
The conventional approach to reducing aviation emissions has been via sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), defined as “liquid hydrocarbon jet fuel produced from renewable or waste resources that is compatible with existing aircraft and engines.” SAF uptake to date has been negligible, but the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge aims to rapidly scale its use by 2050.
Hydrogen could play several roles in decarbonizing aviation. Fuel cell-powered aircraft have high efficiencies but low range, while hydrogen combustion aircraft can achieve greater range but are still limited to about a third of the passenger market. Ultimately, aviation requires high energy densities to support more passengers or cargo and travel longer distances. Hydrogen-derived SAF (“e-fuels”) therefore holds the greatest potential for most of the aviation
sector.
This fact sheet is part of an Energy Innovation paper assessing clean hydrogen’s value for cutting climate pollution from 12 end uses.