OIES Podcast – Aviation fuels and the potential of hydrogen

Podcasts - Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

In the latest OIES podcast, from the Hydrogen Programme, James Henderson talks to Abdurahman Alsulaiman about his latest paper entitled “Navigating Turbulence: Hydrogen’s Role in the Decarbonisation of the Aviation Sector.” In the podcast we discuss the current balance of fuels in the aviation sector, the importance of increasing efficiency of aero-engines and the impact of increasing passenger miles travelled. The podcast then considers different decarbonisation options for the sector, focussing on a change of engine technology to allow the use of alternative fuels such as hydrogen or electricity but also looking at the potential for hydrogen to play an important role in the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) for use with current engine technology. We also look at Low Carbon Aviation Fuels which are essentially existing fuels derived from a significantly decarbonised supply chain and assess whether they have an important role to play as the aviation sector targets a net zero outcome.