This mythological animal that isplane green going to become real? The government wants it. And yesterday, it set the French aeronautical industry, as it did in the automotive industry, the objective of becoming the world leader in energy transition in its field.
In the firing line, a decisive technological breakthrough: an appliance with electric motors powered by a hydrogen fuel cell “around 2035”. Fifteen years earlier than in the most optimistic scenarios.
Too heavy batteries
It remains to design fairly powerful batteries at an acceptable price, to develop safe handling and storage of this explosive gas, which must also be produced without polluting. However, apart from kerosene, organic or not, only hydrogen is energy dense enough for an airplane.
This is not the case for batteries: even if we managed to increase their storage capacity by five times, they would still weigh, in the case of medium-haul, more than the plane itself.
Previously, it will be a question, within ten years, of givingA320 (the Airbus star) a classic successor but 30% less polluting. And also to create a hybrid device (thermal and electric).
More expensive for companies
These objectives are more in line with a sector that has managed, in fifty years, to reduce kerosene consumption per passenger by 75%. Up to just 2 liters per 100 km currently.
But to mop up the growth of air traffic and its unpopular CO emissions2 (even if they weigh less than 3% of the world total), the 26,000 airliners in service will have to start using biokerozene. There are only 0.05% in their bunkers today. The technology so that the biofuel comes only from waste, and not from dedicated agricultural production, is perfected. Europe could impose it. But it will be more expensive.
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