Travel Radar recently had the opportunity to visit the Hydrogen Foresight conference, where industry leaders meet to discuss hydrogen transport.
What is the Hydrogen Foresight Conference?
Hydrogen Foresight is an event where contributors from across the industry join together to advance and shape the future of hydrogen transport. Situated in the heart of London, the day-long conference looks at the potential for hydrogen power across many different modes of transportation, like buses, shipping, rail, heavy goods vehicles and, of course, aviation.
This year’s event boasted a packed schedule, with contributors from a range of fields relating to Hydrogen. On the academic side, there were university lecturers and engineers to offer their insight into emerging technologies. Leading figures from transport companies and directors from power and gas companies also stepped forward to inform on how hydrogen can transform their industries in the next forty years. They were joined by civil servants from the Department for Transport (DfT) and local government, who addressed the policy side of hydrogen, and what can be done to help support businesses as they transition to the new technology.
Hydrogen in Aviation
Travel Radar attended the section focused on Aviation, which began with a presentation on developing policy to advance hydrogen for aviation, delivered by Greg Easter, Head of Aviation Decarbonisation at the DfT. Following the talk, there was a panel discussion, in which Mr Easter was joined on the stage by:
- Dr Naresh Kumar, Sustainability Advisor for the Aerospace Technology institutes
- Dr Merhan Jalili, Senior Process Engineer for Concord Blue
- Dr Soheil Jafari from the Centre of Propulsion Engineering, Cranfield University.
The group covered questions such as: “What role will Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) play on the road to hydrogen?” and “What is the safety framework around hydrogen aircraft?” and even more niche questions such as “what effect will hydrogen have on aircraft contrails?”
With global fuel prices reaching historic highs, the need to develop sustainable alternatives has become all the more crucial. Events like Hydrogen Foresight pave the way for advancement, helping different arms of industry work together to shape the future of the aviation industry. It is encouraging to see the work being done to bring us closer to that future.
