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E-fuels to beat hydrogen in aviation

Oil&Gas Materials 6 January 2023 15:01 (UTC +04:00)
E-fuels to beat hydrogen in aviation
Laman Zeynalova
Laman Zeynalova
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.6. Electrofuels, also known as e-fuels or synthetic fuels will beat hydrogen in the aviation sector, says DNV GL, Trend reports.

“Weighing the different advantages of hydrogen and e-fuels against each other, we will see three times more e-fuels — a 13 percent share in the mix — than pure hydrogen in the aviation subsector, principally because as a drop-in option, e-fuels can serve all types of flights, whereas pure hydrogen is limited mainly to medium-haul flights. However, oil will remain the main fuel source for aviation, retaining a 59 percent share in 2050, though in absolute terms oil use will be 26 percent lower than today. The efficiency gains and the gradual change in fuel mix mean that in our forecast, aviation will fare better longer term than the (currently under revision) CORSIA goals of carbon-neutral aviation growth to 2050,” reads the report released by DNV GL.

The report says that from a technology standpoint, aviation has relatively few options to replace oil-based fuel and is frequently termed a hard-to-abate sector.

“Yet, with a limited set of stakeholders, and an international governance structure enabling decision-making, it could be relatively easy to implement and monitor the uptake of technologies and fuels that emit less GHGs. However, even if alternatives to fossil fuels progress in the future, they are still prohibitively expensive and less readily available in terms of supply and infrastructure. Batteries weight makes electrification a realistic propulsion option only in the short-haul flight segment. Deployment of electric airplanes is likely to start before 2030 on very small aircrafts with fewer than 20 passengers, expanding in the 2030s to slightly larger short-haul planes in leading regions. Batteries have very low energy density, and only hybrid-electric solutions are relevant for medium and long-haul flights. Since only a minor part of aviation fuel is consumed on short-haul flights, electricity will represent only 2 percent of the aviation fuel mix in 2050.”

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