Airbus Looking At India, Australia, Latin America For Green Hydrogen Supplies – EQ Mag
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is looking to source green hydrogen from India as well as Australia and Latin America. The company official told PTI news agency that Airbus is working on developing a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine for its ambitious zero-emission aircraft that will enter service by 2035.
Airbus has also signed an agreement with HyPort to set up a low-carbon hydrogen production and distribution station at an airport in France.
The hydrogen station at the Toulouse-Blagnac airport in France is slated to enter into service in early 2023. It will have the capacity to produce around 400 kilograms of hydrogen per day — enough to power some 50 ground vehicles, the aerospace major said.
Glenn Llewellyn, VP Zero-Emission Aircraft at Airbus, “There are no hydrogen-powered aircraft flying today but we can use hydrogen to decarbonise airport activities… this allows us to scale up hydrogen availability and prepare for the time when we need it for aircraft”.
“India is an amazing location with huge potential for the production of (green) hydrogen at a very exciting cost,” Llewellyn told the agency.
“I would hope that one day we can have zero emission aircraft operating out of airports like Delhi and others at attractive price points based on homegrown renewable energy ecosystem,” he added.
On 30 November, Airbus told Bloomberg news agency that lack of green hydrogen and associated infrastructure could push back service entry for a carbon-free aircraft.
The European planemaker, which plans to introduce a hydrogen model around 2035, is working with airports, energy companies, and infrastructure providers to develop the ecosystem needed to support such an aircraft.
Green hydrogen, derived from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, has the best environmental credentials since there are few or no carbon dioxide emissions.
It has been touted as the key to decarbonising industries that rely on coal, gas, and oil, but the costs of production have traditionally been much higher than other forms of hydrogen, while there are also uncertainties about the demand worldwide.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Hydrogen Mission on 15 August 2021. Under this initiative, the country targets to produce 5 MT of green hydrogen by 2030.
India has already announced its goal of increasing renewables capacity to 500 GW by 2030 and meeting 50% of energy requirements from renewable sources.
Source: PTI
