Experimental E-plane [image credit: Siemens]
If only batteries could lose some of their heavy weight during flight, matching the reductions achieved by burning fuel, he might be onto something. But as they can’t, this looks like more pie in the sky.
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Exclusive: Acting Liberal Democrat leader calls for green short haul flights to be UK’s next “moon landing mission”, reports i-news.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is calling for all domestic flights to be zero carbon by 2030, arguing the target must become the UK’s new “moon landing mission”.
Commercial planes run mainly on fossil fuels, and engineers are struggling to design a zero carbon passenger jet to replace them.
Electric planes are in their infancy, hampered by the need for large, heavy batteries.
Hydrogen-powered planes could be an option, if the costs of sustainable production processes can be curbed.
Becoming the first nation in the world to solve these problems and master zero carbon flight would cement the UK’s green technology prowess and expand its green manufacturing base, Sir Davey said.
Green technology
“If we harness the power of green technology we can save jobs and create jobs, and give hope to people in communities across our country,” he said. “Green flight could be one of the next transformational technology shifts, and the UK must be at the forefront of this new era of aircraft.”
Continued here.
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
Eid Davey is a moron.
Reblogged this on Utopia, you are standing in it!.
Reblogged this on uwerolandgross.
And this gives you an idea of how much Davey wasted on Solar energy in the UK when he was in charge but out of control in the the Energy department
https://edmhdotme.wordpress.com/excess-costs-of-uk-weather-dependent-renewable-energy-2019/
I do wish politicians would properly do their homework before opening their mouths. Mind you, with cunning legalistic chicanery it would be possible to have flight DEEMED to be carbon free.
Tell it to the Jet Zero Council.
The obvious answer is Hydrogen. All domestic flights should be by zeppelins with hydrogen providing the lift.
The clue is in the Title: Acting and calling. Wrong play, wrong songwrong time goodbye!
1 slide from a GWPF lecture in 2019:
Full electrification not relevant to most commercial transport.
– 36 tonne 500 mile range lorry – 1000kWh battery, 6.4 tons weight, cost over $180,000. Charging time around 12 hours.
– A320 Neo carries 266 MWh of fuel energy. A bettery pack carrying the same energy would wieigh 1640 tons – 19 times the max take off weight. At MW, would require 11 days to charge.
– Container ship Benjamin Franklin carries 4.5 million gallons of fuel, 170 million kWh. The battery pack would weigh over a million tons – 5.8 times the dead weight tonnage.
Moore’s Law for batteries?
– Not applicable. Electrons in a microprocessor do not take up space but ions in a bettery do. Only new battery chemistry will bring major changes
– Gains in performance and reduc tion in cost typically 1.3-3% per year outside the microchip world (Smil, http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/renewables/moores-curse)
Autonomous cars accelerate spread of BEVs? No!
– Level 5 autonomy requires 1.5-3.75 kW of extra power + 1-5 kW for heating and cooling. A minimum of 2.5 KW
– A car on call for 24 hours with a 50 kWh battery cannot go very far!
https://www.euractiv.com/section/batteries/news/uks-next-gen-warplane-could-tap-battery-power/
“If the world’s armed forces embrace the idea of fuelling their war machines with electricity rather than oil – thus cutting supply dependence on often volatile regions of the world – the subsequent R&D is likely to trickle down to the civilian sector.”
Well, I guess it makes WWIII less likely…
“the UK’s new “moon landing mission”.?” — I wasn’t aware that the UK had an OLD Moon Landing Mission — have I missed something?
4 Sure:
UK at the forefront of err craft — weather left or right.