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Clean Energy Demand Soars For Aviation Industry | |
| Sumita Pawar |
According to a new white paper from the World Economic Forum (WEF), hydrogen and electric aircraft could require 600–1,700 terawatt-hours (TWh) of clean energy by 2050.
To meet this demand, it would require the amount of energy produced by 10–25 of the world’s largest wind farms or a solar farm half the size of Belgium.
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The report suggests that the aviation industry needs to make key investments in infrastructure to reach its net-zero carbon goals by 2050.
Alternative, carbon-free propulsion options, such as battery and hydrogen-powered aircraft, could account for 21%–38% of flights by 2050, according to the report.
The first commercial flights by such aircraft are expected to take place this decade. The report finds that shifting to alternative propulsion will require a capital investment of between $700 billion and $1.7 trillion across the value chain by 2050.
Approximately 90% of this investment will be for off-airport infrastructure, primarily power generation and hydrogen electrolysis and liquefaction. Despite high price tags, the infrastructure investment needed is similar to what airports may spend on similar expansions or upgrades.
The aviation sector will need to partner with other industries to support their infrastructure needs, including energy suppliers for green hydrogen and electricity production or equipment manufacturers for energy storage needs.
Airports can already begin to map the local ecosystem of hydrogen and energy projects to identify specific stakeholders to partner with. The WEF is launching the Airports of Tomorrow initiative, convening executives from the airport ecosystem to proactively address their energy, infrastructure, and financing needs in the coming decades.