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Despite the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions having fallen by more than half since the 1990s, the transport sector remains a stubborn outlier, declining by just 12% to 15% during that time.
It is the country’s highest-emitting sector, responsible for 25% to 30% of the national total, with cars and taxis being the largest source. The explosion of electric vehicles in recent years has been positive, but hasn’t reversed the long-term upward trend in emissions, while air and sea travel remain just as polluting as ever.
Indeed, aviation and shipping each account for 2% to 3% of global emissions, with the promise of sustainable aviation fuels and calls for regulatory changes not yet having moved the needle because of these industries’ reliance on high-energy fossil fuels. Thankfully, innovative companies offer hope for the transport sector as it strives to reach net zero.
In the past decade, work has been under way to deliver a new aircraft – the longest in the world – that will pave the way for zero-emission flights. Developed by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the revolutionary Airlander 10 is an over 300-feet-long helium aircraft that combines technologies from aeroplanes, airships and helicopters. It uses a combination of buoyant and aerodynamic lift, and with a passenger capacity of up to 130 and a 10-tonne payload, it is designed for short-haul travel, surveillance and cargo.
“The inspiration for the design comes from the principle that lighter-than-air aircraft are inherently efficient, as the weight of the aircraft is offset by the helium used in the hull,” explains Hannah Cunningham, HAV’s head of marketing and communications.
“Historically, though, airships and other lighter-than-air aircraft have been hard to control on the ground. The Airlander design is heavier- than-air, meaning it can be handled on the ground like traditional aircraft. This combination allows us to deliver a robust aircraft with significantly reduced emissions.
"The prototype was flown between 2016 and 2017, where we collected enormous amounts of flight test data to inform the production design.”
With a range of up to 2,000 nautical miles and operating altitude of up to 10,000 feet, the first commercial model is expected by the end of the decade and will run on four kerosene engines.
However, Cunningham notes, “even in this configuration, the aircraft will produce up to 90% fewer emissions compared with traditional aircraft on similar routes. The product roadmap will then focus on a zero emissions aircraft using hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric engines.”
There is huge interest: HAV currently has more than $2bn (£1.5bn) worth of aircraft reservations across 32 companies in the passenger mobility, ecotourism and defence markets.
“Once Airlander 10 is with customers, we will be developing larger Airlander variants that will be suited to the logistics and freight market,” says Cunningham. “This is actually the largest market for the aircraft – faster than surface transport, and cheaper and more efficient than air freight.”
The aircraft is designed to be extremely quiet and can land on water, ice, sand, grass and traditional paved areas. Using an innovative landing gear with inflatable amphibious ‘studs’, it eliminates the need for prepared runways or significant infrastructure.
“It reduces the need for traditional airport infrastructure, which will lower land use and associated environmental impacts,” says Cunningham. “It also enables more direct point-to-point operations, helping to reduce overall fuel burn and emissions from onward road or air transfers.”
The Airlander 10’s versatility and sustainability credentials could see it used by a wide range of sectors in the near future. Cunningham adds: “We are very excited at the prospect of Airlander becoming commonplace in our skies as aircraft roll off the production line.”
Last year, the UK welcomed the world’s first dual-fuelled ammonia-powered vessel to its shores, marking several years of research and development – and proving naysayers wrong.
Developed by Australian metal mining company Fortescue, the Green Pioneer is on a tour that has taken it to Europe, the US, the Caribbean and Central and Latin America, showing that ammonia – a zero-carbon fuel – could help slash global shipping emissions.
“When I first went to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore to tell them we would be burning ammonia on the Green Pioneer, they said ‘hell will freeze over before you do that; it’s not allowed by the International Maritime Organization’ (IMO),” explains Fortescue’s head of green shipping and marine systems, Andrew Hoare. “We’re focusing on methanol, biofuels and liquified natural gas (LNG). They said – no way.”
However, the authority went from sceptic to supporter and enabler after visiting the company’s Perth testbed. Fortescue moves 200m tonnes of iron ore a year from Australia to China – 20% of the country’s iron ore exports – and operates the equivalent of 100 ships to carry it.
“LNG has been touted as the new transition fuel, but it only resolves shipping emissions by about 20%,” says Hoare. “We went to engine manufacturers and asked about using ammonia as a marine fuel, and they said it may be possible in 2035 or 2040. They weren’t interested, so we did it ourselves.”
Ammonia for shipping fuel is primarily produced by combining nitrogen and hydrogen under high pressure and temperature. A zero-carbon fuel, it is ideal for the long-distance and hard-to abate shipping sector, “We’re not just miners who dig stuff out of the ground – we deal with complex chemicals, explosives and process safety,” Hoare says. “For the Green Pioneer, you need an ammonia tank and fuel preparation, bunkering, nitrogen, heating and cooling and scrubbing systems.
"We presented all our learnings to the IMO in 2024, which developed interim guidelines for the use of ammonia as a marine fuel. They were approved by the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers in August 2024 and adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee in December that year.”
The IMO’s in-development Net-Zero Framework for shipping will penalise the use of high-emission fuels and reward lower-emission alternatives. “The Green Pioneer is not a commercial ship – it’s a ship that’s driving regulation and a demand for ammonia fuel,” Hoare says. “We decided to go around the world to every port and say ammonia is safe, ammonia is possible.”
Researchers at the Environmental Change Institute in Oxford estimate that green ammonia could decarbonise over 60% of global shipping by 2050 and reduce tank-to-wake emissions by 90% to 95%.
“You’ll see the first commercial vessels in the fourth quarter of this year, and we’re continuing to refine the technology,” Hoare says. “The first Newcastlemax ore carriers will reduce emissions by around 75%, but it’s critical to get it almost up to 100%. That is achievable, and has to be our North Star because we’re going to bust 1.5°C this year, so we have to be accountable and clean up our act.”
Paul Stratford began exploring solar power for e-bikes in 2019. After a prototyping period, St Peter’s Hospital in Surrey asked him to research the potential for solar e-bikes in its car park.
"We configured a system that would charge up to three bikes simultaneously, powered entirely by solar, so there were no groundworks, no installation costs, and it was very, very cost effective,” he explains.
Emboldened, he founded e-bike charging company Solarcycle. Since the first installations in December 2022, it has grown into what Stratford calls the “leading off-grid, smart network of e-bike chargers globally.” He adds: “Our chargers are designed by cyclists, for cyclists, with installations in England, Wales, Scotland and Spain, and enquiries in some other European countries, where we will start to expand too.”
The off-grid modular chargers are designed for organisations with large estates, such as NHS Trusts or university campuses, allowing staff to charge bikes at work. Stratford notes that “travelling to work by e-bike has virtually no travel or fuel costs, and it is fantastic for heart health and a number of other issues like diabetes”.
Travel accounts for around 98% of employee emissions, and staff who cycle to work are likely to take 40% fewer sick days. Solarcycle has provided Surrey County Council with up to 1,380km of carbonless travel onsite every month, slashing energy costs and reducing car use.
A recent NHS installation also demonstrated regular charging sessions and how weather, temperature and topography affected use. “The minimum cost of just putting in groundworks and cabling for regular mains charging in a bike shelter 10 to 50 feet away from buildings is over £25,000,” Stratford says. “Solarcycle installations have no groundworks, no trench works or planning and are very low cost. Once ordered, they can be delivered and installed in as little as two weeks with an optional lifetime guarantee, and the chargers last 15 to 20 years.”
The Green Mark-accredited company provides demo days for interested organisations, which generate instant data feedback. “Immediately after installation, it starts recording every single charging session, so organisations can see how effective it is and how many grams of carbon dioxide and carbon-emitting transport miles they’ve erased from roads, which they can use for their reporting,” says Stratford. “Owning and maintaining an e-bike costs under a tenth of the price of a car. For commuters switching everyday transport to e-bikes, the savings can be as much as £4,000 annually.
“With the cost of living and fuel right now, we are championing and campaigning for greener travel because it’s better for people’s health, wallets and the environment.”
Photography: Hybrid Air Vehicles / Fortescue / Solarcycle
Chris Seekings is the Deputy Editor of ISEP’s Transform magazine, which is published biomonthly for ISEP members. Chris’s role involves writing sustainability-related news, features and interviews, as well as helping to plan and manage the magazine’s other day-to-day activities.
