Ensuring climate-friendly energy reaches aircraft TU Braunschweig is planning the necessary energy infrastructure for airports with ‘TRANS-AIR’
To meet the future demand for sustainable energy sources in the German aviation sector, ‘TRANS-AIR’ is developing supply strategies for individual airports and the system as a whole. Co-ordinated by Technische Universität Braunschweig, this collaborative project aims to develop long-term recommendations for action for policymakers and industry. The project is funded with around three million euros by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.
Whether sustainable fuels, hydrogen or electrical energy: it is clear that conventional fossil aviation fuels will be gradually replaced by more climate-friendly alternatives. It remains to be seen which energy sources will prevail, in what quantities they will be required and at which locations they must be available.
At the same time, their roll-out requires new production capacities, transport networks and infrastructure at airports. These structures must be planned at an early stage, even though the future development of technologies, markets, political framework conditions and demand is subject to considerable uncertainty.
No transformation without infrastructure
Under the name ‘TRANS-AIR – Transformation Pathways to Secure Energy Supply in the German Aviation Sector’, a collaborative project involving researchers from TU Braunschweig, Leibniz University Hannover, the Technical University of Hamburg and Bauhaus Luftfahrt is tackling this challenge. The project is coordinated by the Institute for Automotive Economics and Industrial Production (AIP) at TU Braunschweig.
“New aircraft technologies alone are not enough to transform aviation. The necessary energy sources must be available in good time, in sufficient quantities and at the right locations,” explains Professor Thomas S. Spengler, Head of the AIP. His colleague Dr. Alexander Barke adds: “With TRANS-AIR, we are therefore considering the development of aviation in tandem with the transformation of the energy system.”
Tailored, realistic, future-proof
Over the next three years, the researchers will investigate various scenarios for future energy demand and the necessary infrastructure – both for individual airports and for the aviation sector as a whole. In doing so, they will take into account not only technological, economic and environmental factors, but also potential disruptions and uncertainties. Examples include the market launch of new aircraft technologies, political framework conditions and societal developments that could influence demand for air travel. “Using data-driven models, system dynamics simulation and Mathematics-based optimisation, we are developing concrete implementation plans for how a supply infrastructure for sustainable energy sources in the aviation sector can be built up step by step,” says Dr. Barke.
The findings are intended to provide a robust basis for planning for policymakers, industry, airports and energy suppliers alike. They highlight which decisions and investments are required at what stage in order to gradually introduce alternative energy sources and, as far as possible, avoid misguided investments.
Close collaboration with industry
The joint project involves the Institute for Automotive Economics and Industrial Production (coordination) and the Institute for Flight Control at Technische Universität Braunschweig; the Institute for Electrical Energy Systems and the Institute for Solid State Physics at Leibniz University Hannover; the ‘Resilient and Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management’ research group at the Technical University of Hamburg; and Bauhaus Luftfahrt.
The research consortium is supported by an advisory board. Its members include Airbus Operations GmbH SE, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, EVIA AERO GmbH, Flughafen München GmbH, Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH, Flughafen Hamburg GmbH, Flughafen Münster/Osnabrück GmbH, ALBATROSS Holding GmbH, TenneT TSO GmbH, Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).