Aviation officials imagine planes flown by hydrogen power

Hydrogen-powered jumbo jets have long existed solely in the dreams of hippie environmentalists and sci-fi geeks.
But their future looks groovy, baby, experts said this week in Las Vegas.

And tomorrow's clean-running aircraft won't need a live-in Wookiee to keep their motors soaring safely through the sky.

Current and future applications of alternative fuels were a big topic at the Aviation Industry Expo, which took place Tuesday through Thursday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Soaring oil costs continue to sabotage airlines' finances, a trend that will worsen as global demand for crude oil rises.

Likewise, the need to curtail air pollution around airports and elsewhere is fueling interest in different methods of powering planes and ground-based vehicles.

The military is among those leading the charge, said Mike Mead, chief of the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Power Technology Office at Robins Air Force Base near Macon, Ga.

Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are driving buses, forklifts and tow trucks at military bases around the nation, he said.

Alternative-fuel blends such as E85 ethanol are being studied for wider use, including unmanned airborne vehicles.

Mead urged caution before the public becomes anxious for green-friendly passenger jets, however.

"Let's test it out on the ground first before we put it 30,000 feet in the air," he said.

Capt. Jim Muldoon, an Air Force liaison to the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive Research Development and Engine Center, said hybrid engines are used in military Humvees, and have been field tested in aircraft and other Army vehicles.

"The capabilities are there," Muldoon said. "We have enough energy here (in the United States). We just need to be able to utilize it."

The world's two largest commercial aircraft makers, Airbus S.A.S and the Boeing Co. are "looking at fuel cells right now," said Charles Myers, sales director with Nuvera Fuel Cells, an energy technology company based in Cambridge, Mass.

He said it will be several years before fuel cells are used to power jumbo jets.

In the interim, military and private businesses are focused on cutting ground-based vehicles' oil dependence.

Fuel cells, which use hydrogen and other fuel sources to produce energy that's cleaner and more efficient than gasoline-powered internal combustion engines, offer the most long-term promise, panelists said.

Myers said such cells are getting smaller and easier to deploy. They're also growing stronger: cells with enough juice to drive a locomotive are being tested for use in Japan, he said.

"Airports are between a rock and hard place because they can't change the emissions on aircraft, but they can do something about their ground support equipment," Myers said, touting fuel cells' potential for jetway tow trucks and luggage transports.

To remain in full compliance with federal clean air standards, McCarran International Airport uses diesel buses, hybrid/electric gasoline vehicles, compressed natural gas vehicles, dedicated diesel vehicles, and 52 bi-fuel vehicles that use gasoline and compressed natural gas.

Those vehicles nearly double the airport's 103 gasoline powered vehicles.

McCarran does not use ground equipment with fuel cells, a spokeswoman said.

In many cases, future power sources will be compatible with existing equipment.

Kevin Harris, who oversees business development for Toronto-based Hydrogenics Corp., said fuel cells can also be reloaded with connections to wind and solar power sources, which further expands their flexibility. Chevron, Shell Oil and Toyota are all involved in their development, he added.

Future fuel sources are often more expensive than today's common sources, while their reliability and durability remain key concerns, Harris said. Other challenges include where to store such fuel supplies, how such projects can meet coding standards that are often yet-to-be written, and encouraging the public to pursue such uses.

Costs are dropping, he added.

"It's still relatively early in the fuel cell area ... but I can say it's improving every year," Harris said.

Mead said researchers are focusing on technology that can be used by the military and commercial entities to make the most of potential market opportunities.

"The Air Force has really gotten into the energy war and is really doing all it can to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Mead said. "We're trying to get (technology) out of the showrooms and laboratories and put it into vehicles on the flight line."