The zero-emission turboprop engine (propellers) imagined by Airbus.

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Airbus

It aroused the enthusiasm of politicians and the media.

But the Airbus ZEROe program, which envisages the entry into service in 2035 of a green aircraft powered by hydrogen, is also fueling the scientific debate.

This, in the very birthplace of the aircraft manufacturer.

Researchers from the Toulouse Political Ecology Workshop (Atecopol) published Tuesday in their blog on Médiapart what they call "some elements of smoke extraction".

They point out that hydrogen is currently produced mainly by “methane vapor reforming (…) a technique that emits a lot of CO2”, not particularly more exciting than kerosene.

Toulouse researchers from ATECOPOL deliver their analysis of the Airbus hydrogen aircraft project, announced with a bang in the media last week: https://t.co/oW4C7dJVgj

- Marie Bouchet (@mariecbouchet) September 30, 2020

Guillaume Faury, the boss of Airbus, noted it well since he intends to use "low carbon hydrogen", therefore produced by electrolysis of water, with renewable electricity.

16 nuclear reactors for the equivalent of Roissy traffic

Atecopol takes it at its word and does its calculations.

Its scientists estimate that to make all the planes that landed or landed at Toulouse-Blagnac airport in 2018 fly with “clean” liquid hydrogen, the equivalent of 400 to 650 wind turbines or 37 km2 would be needed. photovoltaic panels, ie “the combined area of ​​Blagnac and Colomiers”.

For Roissy airport, it would take “10,000 to 18,000 wind turbines, or 16 nuclear reactors”.

Notwithstanding Airbus, it is not proposing to convert its entire fleet to hydrogen in 2035 but to fly a commercial aircraft model, yet to be defined.

The manufacturer is also counting on the research and structuring of an industrial sector.

He has 15 years to dispel the skepticism and rise to the challenge.

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