Aviation sector decarbonization within the hydrogen economy – A UAE case study

Abstract

The UAE aviation sector is vital for its economy and is forecast to grow substantially in the coming decades, increasing thereby fuel consumption. At the same time, the country is committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change. Liquid green hydrogen is expected to emerge as an important aviation fuel in the future. The UAE can use its vast solar energy resources to produce cost-competitive hydrogen at scale, securing so its aviation fuel supply. This development, however, needs several decades to materialize. The PV farms needed to produce the electricity for water electrolysis need yet to be constructed. The infrastructure to produce, liquify, store and transport hydrogen is yet to unfold. Hydrogen-powered aircraft need to yet evolve from the current small scale demonstration projects to long-haul commercial airplanes. It is realistically by 2050 when hydrogen gains momentum as aviation fuel and by 2070 when it becomes market dominant. This paper details why and how liquid green hydrogen will find its way as aviation fuel in the UAE and provides the strategy and policy recommendations to facilitate this development. Furthermore, based on the lessons learned from this case study, the implications of the transition to liquid green hydrogen at global scale are highlighted.