The H2Avia project includes all major aspects connected to hydrogen: production, transport, airport infrastructure, aircraft technology adaption, fl eet introduction and an encompassing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Furthermore, the focus is set on the major contributors in terms of transport performance and emissions, leading to the assessment of regional jets and larger aircraft.
Bauhaus Luftfahrt determined the greenhouse gas intensity in terms of Global Warming Potential (GWP100) for hydrogen production and transport, employing an LCA. The greenhouse gas intensity can be reduced by more than 90 % compared to conventional jet fuel from crude oil. The emissions are mainly attributed to the construction phase of the electricity generation capacity that feeds the green hydrogen plants. The LCA results indicate that wind energy is associated with a lower GWP compared to photovoltaic (PV), mainly due to the emission intensity of PV cells and module manufacturing, which is currently concentrated in China. However, both solar and wind offer deep GHG reductions, and economic considerations at a given location may be more relevant for decision-making.
Currently, the project is completing the modeling of aircraft technologies for the use of hydrogen. Therefore, a technology scenario has been devised that is suited to undertake a solid, representative and fair comparison to advanced kerosene-powered aircraft. The integration of the technologies will yield hydrogen-powered aircraft, which will then be incorporated into the fleet model. The final output is a global LCA.
The project was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (FKZ 20E2106A).