Photo by Hyundai Motor Group on Unsplash
The advent of aviation changed the world. It shrank distances between nations and facilitated way faster movement of men and materials across the face of the nation. It is not surprising that aviation continues to grow and reach the farthest and remotest parts of the world. The tremendous advantages accorded by aviation notwithstanding, the more planes that take to the skies, the greater the environmental pollution they cause. Aircraft account for 3% of worldwide greenhouse emissions.[1]
Furthermore,
the trouble with aviation is that aircraft pollute by releasing a range of
greenhouse gasses across the different stages involved in flight. What’s more
airborne craft release pollutants in the form of gasses into the upper levels
of the atmosphere, creating a whole new dimension to the pollution problem.
This can be
mitigated to a large extent by the deployment of electric airplanes. The only way that can become practically
feasible is by developing larger enough batteries and sufficiently efficient
motors. The good news about electric planes is the fact that 70% of the energy
used to charge a battery would help power the plane, which compares very
favorably with other so-called green options like synthetic and hydrogen which
would boast 20 to 30% efficiency. [2]
Improving power storage is the key to enabling the adoption of electric
airplanes as an aviation mainstay.
Airline
flights are all set to double over the next two decades and if the aviation industry
does not change to a carbon-free mode of transportation, it will become among
the leading polluters across all industries. While we may be decades away from
fully electric jumbo jets, it is time for private companies and governments to
step up to the plate and seriously ramp up the efforts to mainstream electric
aircraft. One can realistically look at short-duration commuter flights going
the electric way if the challenges surrounding making lighter batteries are
overcome. Already Boeing has estimated
that small sized all-electric or hybrid planes might be viable by the 2030s.[3]
The time
for an electric airplane is here, but it is going to be some time, before you
and I can catch a flight that runs on batteries. Till that day, then!
[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/uhenergy/2021/07/12/time-to-clean-the-skies-electric-planes-have-arrived/?sh=16c4794a734a
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