Molecular Energy™ for Flight

Aviation is responsible for 2% of the worlds carbon dioxide emissions as of 2019. Once a service for the wealthy few jet setters. Flying is the fastest way into the climate crisis. Aviation is trying to reduce its carbon footprint.

Before the Pandemic, more than 20,000 planes carried 4.5Bn passengers in 2019 and they accounted for about a quarter of all carbon emissions. It is the most energy intense form of transport that money can buy. Most of these passengers were members of frequent flyer programs on domestic flights across the USA and China. These people accounted for almost one quarter of all aviation emissions. A very tiny minority of the worlds population is responsible for 80% of the worlds aviation carbon emissions. Whilst 80% of the world population hasn’t even enjoyed one single flight.

In the early days of aviation, it was exclusive because it was so expensive. An ordinary USA round trip back in 1970’s cost $600. In today’s money that would be $4,000! When the market was deregulated the prices began to fall rapidly as aviation corporate growth became the main priority. This year alone it is anticipated that 100 million Asians will fly for their very first time! Aviation has evolved from the privilege of an exclusive few, to a service for the many. Everyone has a thirst to travel and a thirst to explore their world. The aviation industry expects to return to pre Covid-19 levels of traffic before 2024.

Hydrogen is the most likely candidate to replace high carbon aviation fuels. It avoids the use of heavy batteries and can generate electrical energy within the aircraft during flight to meet demands from the engines. Hydrogen does not pollute when burned, the only waste product is clean water.

Airbus has given a date of 2035 before a hydrogen powered plane will take off and fly. Why so late? This is because Airbus executives have been thinking along traditional ways of centralised hydrogen production, storage and distribution using piped liquid hydrogen. Using the conventional model which simply replicates the existing distribution models of the highly polluting oil industry with its trans Siberian oil pipes and deep underground desert or deep sea oil wells and oil refineries with their distillation columns.

In our opinion this is flawed thinking. There is so much energy stored in water, that water can be the fuel deployed. Stored safely inside a Liquidynamix “battery” its breakdown into its components of oxygen and hydrogen can be controlled and produced on demand! Thereby eliminating the need to build large scale infrastructure to store the hydrogen in advance!