Report: Future Aviation Will Require Massive Energy Growth

Atkins, a design and engineering firm, has published a white paper analyzing the energy requirements needed to fulfill future aviation demand. Sustainability is an important area of attention for the aviation sector.

The author of the paper notes that while sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), hydrogen, and batteries have all been identified as potential low-carbon power sources for the next generation of aircraft, their generation and storage will require a significant expansion of energy pathways over the next 50 years.

While the extraction and refinement of the current fossil-based jet fuel releases more energy than is needed to propel the aircraft, the production of the low-carbon fuel alternatives under consideration is more energy-intensive. According to Atkins analysts, by 2070, the world will need 44,000 terawatt hours (TWh) per year to meet the demand for aircraft fuel, a 5,700% increase from current aviation energy demands as the fleet transitions from fossil fuels and almost twice as much electricity as the world currently consumes. This prediction is based on estimated energy efficiencies, the forecasted fuel mix, and the anticipated growth in the aviation sector.

According to the research, a brand-new, massive 3.2 GW nuclear power plant could be anticipated to produce 25 TWh of electricity annually, requiring 1,800 of these facilities to satisfy the need. According to the report, the amount of energy needed for SAF manufacturing and e-fuels, respectively, could alter over time depending on which fuel type becomes more popular.

According to Andrew Caughey, the sustainable aviation lead for aerospace at Atkins, “the mix of low carbon alternative fuel is yet to be determined, but the production, storage, and transportation of fuels has implications for energy and airport infrastructure, and their emissions need to be considered across the whole lifecycle, from ‘source to force’.”