Preparation for the Arrival of Electric Airships Nears: Are We Equipped for the Change?
In the face of the war against carbon emissions, airships are emerging as a potential solution for sustainable cargo transport. These century-old giants of the sky are being reimagined with modern technology, making them a viable alternative to conventional airplanes.
Hydrogen, much easier to source and a more efficient lifting gas compared to helium, is finding its way into airship design. Companies like H2 Clipper Inc. are planning to use hydrogen as a lifting gas for their airship, aiming to create a green hydrogen delivery service. Experts like Prentice argue that the century-old ban on hydrogen use in airships should be reconsidered, and efforts are underway to make hydrogen safer for airship use.
One such company leading the charge is Flying Whales, a France- and Canada-based company currently testing its 650-foot-long LCA60T dirigible. Meanwhile, LTA Research, backed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, is preparing for test flights of its Pathfinder 1 rigid airship, equipped with technologies like Kevlar, carbon fiber, ripstop nylon, and hydrogen fuel cells.
The single largest market for airships is to ferry goods across oceans. Solar airships, outfitted with thin-film solar cells, produce no combustion-related discharges during operation, making them undeniably environmentally friendly. These solar-powered vessels can take a huge bite out of global carbon emissions while also reaching parts of the world that airplanes and helicopters can't reach or supply efficiently.
Scientists, governments, engineers, activists, and others are rushing to find ways to ditch fossil fuels for green energy. Pflaum's research has designed a hexagonal parking construction to anchor a large number of airships in a relatively small area, optimising space for these eco-friendly cargo haulers. Pflaum's simulations created routes that snaked into the North Atlantic in the summer and plummeted toward the equator in the winter-all in search of the optimum amount of solar energy during transit.
However, airships will likely never beat airplanes in terms of pure speed. While they deliver tonnage more sustainably than air cargo, they are still slower. Developing sustainable jet fuels or electrified alternatives for airplanes has produced some promising results, but airplanes require too much energy to be sustainable in the short term.
The FAA has yet to follow suit and update regulations to allow for the use of hydrogen in airships, unlike the European Aviation Safety Agency, which updated regulations in 2022 to allow for any lifting gas, as long as safety measures are in place. Gennadiy Verba, president of Atlas LTA airship company, believes hydrogen can be made safer for airship use, and Prentice's company, Buoyant Aircraft Systems International, has developed a turntable-style landing system for airships, allowing them to move with the wind and land in areas with little infrastructure.
As we grapple with the effects of climate change, from animals blinking out of existence to weather events that were once considered rare now regular occurrences, the war against carbon emissions is changing how we look at technology. Airships, once thought of as relics of a bygone era, are now at the forefront of engineering innovation. They offer a promising solution for sustainable cargo transport, reducing carbon emissions and reaching parts of the world that conventional aircraft cannot. The future of airships is green, and it's arriving sooner than we think.
