Fabrum managing director and co-founder Christopher Boyle, who is developing lightweight hydrogen fuel storage in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
Fabrum managing director and co-founder Christopher Boyle, who is developing lightweight hydrogen fuel storage in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied
The world’s leading aircraft manufacturer and partners including Air New Zealand were in Christchurch on Friday morning to announce their ambitions for emission-free aviation.
Christchurch Airport has been selected by aerospace company Airbus and Fortescue Future Industries as a launchpad for developing commercial flight powered by “green hydrogen”.
The newly formed Hydrogen Consortium will address the details of delivering a zero-emission ecosystem for passenger flight. The six partner organisations, including energy providers, the airport and the national airline could place New Zealand at the forefront of the race for carbon-free passenger flight.
The New Zealand city was selected as an ideal test ground for the pioneering, green aviation technology for its industry-leading local partners, including hydrogen fuel experts Fabrum and the airport’s recent expansion of green energy capacity.
On Thursday Christchurch Airport announced further details for a 300ha solar plant on land behind the runways. The Kōwhai Park plant will be an installation of 300,000 solar panels, used to generate electricity and “green” hydrogen fuel on site.
Last October Christchurch and Hamburg Airports entered a partnership to develop hydrogen infrastructure for aviation. The Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport is also home to Airbus’s ongoing research into hydrogen-powered jet engines and fuel cells.
Airbus has announced intentions to launch its first hydrogen-powered flight for passengers by 2025. Photo / Supplied
Chief executive of partner Hiringa Energy, Andrew Clennett says New Zealand is already a leader in the use of hydrogen-power on roads, rails and waterways.
“Aircraft are a key next step, and this consortium has formed to ensure these planes have the infrastructure and hydrogen supply they will need to take off here,” he says.
Over the next six months this local and international partnership will be using the site to create a model for emissions-free travel.
The research and feasibility studies aim to be concluded by the end of the year, but the project is an important step in green aviation ambitions.
Last year Air New Zealand announced ambitions to conduct its first zero-emission demonstrator flight from 2026. The airline identified green hydrogen as a likely alternative fuel for this goal.
“Hydrogen is tricky. There are lots of things we need to solve before we fly around our domestic network or any further than New Zealand,” said the airline’s chief of sustainability Kiri Hannifin.
However, Hannifin said she felt “incredibly humbled” to be working with the consortium partners, exploring the possibility for decarbonising aviation from Christchurch.
“I think the next six months will help us better understand and answer some of those questions and where we can go and what speed we can go.”
Airbus has declared intentions to fly the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial passenger aircraft by 2035.
Airbus’ vice president of the ZEROe ecosystem, Karine Guenan who was attending the event said that New Zealand’s renewable energy infrastructure made it a “unique and ideal” place for developing a green hydrogen ecosystem.
“We are a global player. Our roots are in Europe but we are very at home in New Zealand.”
There Kōwhai Park development made the airport a standout candidate for developing green hydrogen technology.
“Apart from aviation, you have all the energy use cases here that makes Christchurch very interesting.”
Christchurch Airport's Kōwhai Park project will see a 300ha solar power plant built by the runways. Image / Supplied
Fabrum co-founder Christopher Boyle said that the public may not be aware of how far developed the technology is for hydrogen powered flight.
“There are no technology hurdles in the way,” he says.
Having already tested low-weight hydrogen fuel cells on aircraft in the UK, the Christchurch-based engineering company expects big things from the consortium and its decision to base itself in Christchurch.
“Christchurch history of innovation in high tech manufacture,” says Boyle. “The capability to shift to a zero carbon model for aviation exists within these six companies.”
Black hydrogen and green flight
Hydrogen is a clean-burning fuel that produces only water as a byproduct.
Having successfully tested jet engines on liquid fuel cells, “green hydrogen” has been identified as one of the most promising future aviation fuels.
However hydrogen generation is enormously energy hungry, requiring large amounts of electricity and comes with additional challenges.
The current hydrogen market differentiates between “green” and “black” hydrogen, with black hydrogen being extracted from fossil fuels or created using non-renewable sources.
The Hydrogen Consortium will be looking at developing an ecosystem that eliminates carbon from the entire process of generating, transporting and burning aviation fuel.
The ability to produce renewable energy on-site is key for being able to eliminate carbon emissions from the aviation sector.
Secondly, as an atmospheric gas, hydrogen is extremely non-dense compared to traditional kerosene-based aviation fuel. Cooling and compressing hydrogen into a state that is usable on board aircraft is a challenge that Christchurch-based company Fabrum has been trying to address.
Fabrum’s Christopher Boyle says that being part of the consortium will “turbocharge” the transition and learning process for hydrogen tech.
“Together we’ll make a big difference in taking zero emission aviation forward which is good news to anyone who wants to fly sustainably in the future,” he said.
Having developed lightweight liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for watercraft, such as the Emirates Team New Zealand chase boat, using the technology aboard aircraft is the next logical step.
