Anthropocene: Solar-powered airships could help climate-friendly air travel get off the ground
By Sarah DeWeerdt, Published May 9, 2023
Flying is the most climate-unfriendly mode of transportation, yet demand for air travel is projected to continue to increase in the coming decades. Researchers are working on replacing jet fuel with sustainable fuels, hydrogen, or battery-powered airplanes, but such technologies aren’t ready for wide-scale use.
Relaunching a century-old technology could be a faster approach to climate-friendly air travel, according to a new study. Airships powered by a skin of thin, flexible solar cells and highly efficient, lightweight batteries have the potential to move people and freight across oceans at much lower cost and climate impact than conventional aviation.