Research institutions from 13 countries have declared their work towards environmentally friendly aviation. Among the common goals of the “Zero Emission Aviation” (ZEMA) declaration is the development of new propulsion technologies, sustainable fuels and solutions for urban air mobility. One of the signatories of the ZEMA declaration, announced and signed during the International Forum for Aviation Research, is Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation.
In the future, aviation should have virtually no negative impact on the environment – this was the conclusion of the research organizations forming the ZEMA Group to pursue the goal of zero-emission aviation.
A growth-only strategy applied in the past is not a solution for the air transport of the future. The ZEMA Group found it insufficient to focus solely on the development of existing aircraft or engines and calls for the development and implementation of new technologies.
In this context, sustainable fuels can play an important role as combustion processes are always linked to emissions. Therefore, research organizations have committed themselves to engage in the development of alternative energy sources for the new propulsion technology. Work on optimizing flight paths is also planned – this will require the acquisition of relevant data as well as aircraft that can fly these routes in a climate-friendly way. Urban mobility and electric flights are further areas of focus. At the same time, the ZEMA Group marks a commitment to develop sustainable aviation that meets the needs of society.
– We are working to achieve the objectives of this declaration by participating in ambitious research programs. This year, together with our European partners, we initiated the IMOTHEP project to develop hybrid electric propulsion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by commercial aviation. At the beginning of 2021, another European project, of which we are a leader, will also be launched: ASSURED-UAM, for the integrated drone transport over urban areas. The solutions we are working on will help to effectively fight the negative effects of climate change and prepare for the development of urban air mobility, covering larger agglomerations – says Paweł Stężycki, director of the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation.
As the signatories of the agreement emphasize, the time to introduce changes is short, because according to the provisions of the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015, greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere should be reduced to zero in the second half of the 21st century. In turn, the “Green Deal” of the European Commission includes the goal of achieving climate neutrality in Europe by 2050. The European Commission emphasizes that significant investments will be required to achieve this goal.
The full text of the “Zero Emission Aviation” declaration is available here.
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Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation is one of the most modern research facilities in Europe, with traditions dating back to 1926. The Institute closely cooperates with global tycoons of the aviation industry, such as: General Electric, Airbus or Pratt & Whitney, and institutions from the space industry, including the European Space Agency. Strategic research areas of the Institute are aviation, space and unmanned technologies. It also provides research and services for domestic and foreign industries in the field of materials, composite, additive, remote sensing, energy as well as mining technologies.
The Łukasiewicz Research Network provides attractive, complete and competitive technological solutions. It offers a unique system of “challenging” to business, thanks to which a group of 4 500 scientists in no more than 15 working days accepts the business challenge and proposes the entrepreneur to develop an effective implementation solution. At the same time it involves the highest competences of scientists in Poland and a scientific apparatus unique in Poland. What is most important – the entrepreneur does not bear any costs related to the development of an idea for research work. Łukasiewicz meets the expectations of business in a convenient way. The entrepreneur may decide to contact us not only through the form at https://lukasiewicz.gov.pl/biznes/ but also in more than 50 locations: the Łukasiewicz Institutes and their branches throughout Poland. They will receive the same – high quality – product or service everywhere. The Łukasiewicz potential is focused around such research areas as: health, intelligent mobility, digital transformation and sustainable economy and energy
