MASSIVE ENERGY GROWTH REQUIRED BY FUTURE AVIATION

As the increased use of low carbon aviation fuels, their production and necessary energy input will become a major infrastructure consideration. With sustainability a key area of focus for the aviation industry, design and engineering consultancy Atkins has released a white paper examining the energy requirements needed to meet future aviation demand.

According to the paper's author, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), hydrogen and batteries have all been identified as potential low-carbon power sources for the next generation of air transport vehicles but the energy pathways to generate or store those sources will need to grow dramatically over the next half-century. While existing fossil-based jet fuel results in more energy being released when propelling the aircraft than is required to extract and refine it, production of the low-carbon fuel options under consideration is more energy intensive.

Based on estimated energy efficiencies, the forecasted fuel mix and the anticipated growth in the aviation sector, Atkins analysts predict that 44,000 terawatt hours (TWh) per year will be required by 2070 to meet the global aircraft fuel demand, a 5,700 percent increase from current aviation energy demands as the fleet transitions from fossil fuels and nearly twice the world's current electricity demand.