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Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft? American Airlines Invests in ZeroAvia
Alternative-fuel sources or new technology, such as hydrogen-powered aircraft concepts, are one of several ways to reduce the aviation sector's climate impact. Aiming to achieve lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, American Airlines announced its investment in ZeroAvia, a developer of hydrogen-electric powertrain technology that aims to “drive emissions-free flying." (aeroxplorer.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
United, Alaska, and British Airways have already invested in ZeroAvia, so maybe American didn’t want to be left behind.
Where does the hydrogen come from? How much energy is required to produce, process and store (cryogenically) the hydrogen?
These are the minor details that are always left out of the sexy-sounding "hydrogen powered" stories.
These are the minor details that are always left out of the sexy-sounding "hydrogen powered" stories.
Depends. Traditional "gray" hydrogen is produced from natural gas. "Green" hydrogen is produced with electrolysis or with a steam reformer. Since both use electricity, they can be powered by renewable energy or off-peak grid energy. As with other "new" technologies, costs will drop as production methods and volumes increase. So long term, hydrogen has a low/no carbon footprint outlook.
It is the lightest gas, but unfortunately the least compressible, which is why you need cryogenics to keep the pressures of storage reasonable. If nuclear power was used to produce it, then it would be fossil-fuel-free energy storage.
In the end it is still just a storage device and the energy is produced elsewhere. That means that it is only as clean as the method that produces it.
Sounds like a wise investment? since this technology is a long way down the road, I mean a long way. Maybe we should think how our world has been doing in creating hydrogen fuel plants. I have yet to see one and this science goes way back, kind like me. The USAF even tried to come up with an atomic powered aircraft (too much radiation exposure) has anyone seen one of those recently. I think AAL should think of better ways to invest what little profit they make. If BA and others want to make political statements let them lead the way.