Sustainability has become an important part of the aviation industry today. Even whilst still dealing with a slow recovery from the pandemic, green initiatives are setting the industry alight.
The aviation industry will find it tougher than most to chart a pathway to its net zero carbon emissions target by 2050 but it won’t be for the lack of trying.
The industry is reinventing itself around new technologies that will ensure a lower carbon footprint for years to come. These are exciting times for avgeeks! This week Embraer added to our collective excitement for the future with a presentation of its next generation aircraft, the Energia Family, a group of not just one but up to four concept aircraft uniquely designed to be powered by different propulsion technology – electric, hydrogen fuel cell, dual fuel gas turbine, and hybrid-electric.
A closer look:
Energia Hybrid (E9-HE)
- hybrid-electric propulsion
- up to 90% CO2 emissions reduction
- 9 seats
- rear-mounted engines
- technology readiness –2030
Energia Electric (E9-FE)
- full electric propulsion
- zero CO2 emissions
- 9 seats
- aft contra-rotating propeller
- technology readiness – 2035
Energia H2 Fuel Cell (E19-H2FC)
- hydrogen electric propulsion
- zero CO2 emissions
- 19 seats
- rear-mounted electric engines
- technology readiness – 2035
Energia H2 Gas Turbine (E50-H2GT)
- hydrogen or SAF/JetA urbine propulsion
- up to 100% CO2 emissions reduction
- 35 to 50 seats
- rear-mounted engines
- technology readiness – 2040
Each aircraft is being evaluated for its technical and subsequent commercial viability.
Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer’s Sr. VP of Engineering, Technology and Corporate Strategy, explained the rationale for the Energia family. “We see our role as a developer of novel technologies to help the industry achieve its sustainability targets. There’s no easy or single solution in getting to net zero. New technologies and their supporting infrastructure will come online over time. We’re working right now to refine the first airplane concepts, the ones that can start reducing emissions sooner rather than later. Small aircraft are ideal on which to test and prove new propulsion technologies so that they can be scaled up to larger aircraft. That’s why our Energia family is such an important platform.”
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, commented on the company´s strategy regarding sustainability “We will see a big transformation in our industry towards a more sustainable aviation. With 50 years’ experience in developing, certifying and supporting regional aircraft, Embraer is in a unique position to make viable the introduction of new disruptive green technologies.”
Although the Energia airplanes are still on the drawing board, Embraer has already made advances in reducing emissions from its aircraft. It has tested drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), mixes of sugarcane and camelina plant-derived fuel and fossil fuel, on its family of E-Jets. The company is targeting to have all Embraer aircraft SAF-compatible by 2030. Last August, Embraer flew its Electric Demonstrator, a single-engine EMB-203 Ipanema, 100% powered by electricity. A hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator is planned for 2025 and the company’s eVTOL, a fully electric, zero-emissions vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, is being developed to enter service in 2026.
