A new report from the University of Nottingham's Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Social Sciences and EPRI, a non-profit energy research and development organization, has highlighted the issues and potential strategies to decarbonise transport in and around East Midlands Airport (EMA).
The study is driven by the UK's commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with transport currently responsible for a significant proportion of these emissions.
The report, 'East Midlands Airport Hydrogen Enabled Ecosystem Study', conducted by the University of Nottingham and partly funded and assisted by EPRI, explores strategies for green decarbonization pathways within the East Midlands Airport (EMA) ecosystem.
The study takes a holistic approach, integrating social science and technical research to examine decarbonization opportunities within the airport ecosystem, including aviation, ground transport, and freight operations. The findings from the study aim to provide strategic oversight for long-term policy decisions and link regional opportunities towards achieving net-zero emissions
East Midlands Airport (EMA), the UK's busiest 'pure' cargo airport and second only to London Heathrow in terms of total cargo, handles over 370,000 tonnes of cargo each year, with over four million passengers per year to over 80 leisure and business destinations. EMA is an important economic hub, supporting over 6,000 jobs and generating around £300 million for the region.
The report identified that transitioning to net-zero emissions in transport requires a coordinated decision-making approach that accounts for the interconnections between different transport modes, energy infrastructure, and stakeholder priorities. Members from the University of Nottingham Energy Institute conducted a social science study and technical study, engaging with key stakeholders from the East Midlands region, to highlight the implications and issues surrounding decarbonisation.
Airport ecosystems play a key role in connectivity for both our economy and society. The climate emergency makes it imperative that clear strategies for decarbonisation are identified to ensure the sustainability and growth of this sector and other transport ecosystems with high energy demand.
He added: "This timely project, developed in collaboration with key stakeholders within the East Midlands region, takes a holistic approach to gain a greater understanding of the magnitude of the challenges and provides future scenarios and actionable recommendations to help drive the transition to green technologies within the EMA ecosystem and beyond."
Professor David Grant, Director of the University of Nottingham Energy Institute, said: "As a society, we have known for decades we have to move to greener technologies. Fossil fuels are a limited resource and currently make significant contributions to greenhouse gas accumulation resulting in detrimental climate change. Although the speed of transition to greener technologies is quickening, the overall slow pace of adoption has consequences.
"This means as a society we have understand and adopt even bigger step changes in conversion, storage, and utilisation of green energy if we are to meet net zero targets. Bigger changes over ever shortening target times lead to more uncertainty and challenges for industry and individuals alike on deciding when and what green technologies to adopt.
"Here, we present the results of an exciting project trying to understand what the current energy ecosystems surrounding East Midlands Airport requirements are and to quantify the technical and social challenges in adopting hydrogen as an energy vector alongside electrification approaches."
We are embarking on a transformative journey with the East Midlands Airport Green Futures Study, seeking to shape the future of the transportation sector in a greener, more sustainable direction.
She continued: "The success of the net-zero journey demands more than new technologies, and that's understanding the stakeholders' perspectives within this ecosystem. We're using methodologies like Fuzzy Cognitive Maps to connect and map stakeholders' knowledge with scientific insights, creating a comprehensive model of our complex social-ecological system which facilitates achieving our sustainability objectives."
Baskar Vairamohan, Program Manager at EPRI said: '"Decarbonisation is a complex task that marries technologies and social approaches. Our work on this important study identifies where hydrogen and electrification technologies can combine efficiently to economically deliver low-carbon solutions in and around airports like EMA."
The social science study identified key stakeholders within the EMA ecosystem, including transport and energy providers, logistics companies, and local government. Through focus groups, interviews, and fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM), the study collected data to understand the barriers and enablers to decarbonization.
The technical study also served to forecast the growth of passenger and freight movements at EMA and evaluates future technological adoption scenarios, including hydrogen and electrification. The study analyses fuel emission factors, vehicle fuel efficiencies, and infrastructure implications, presenting results for different energy usage scenarios.
The report concludes with a call for a more integrated approach to decarbonizing the transport sector, leveraging insights from both social science and technical studies. The study authors also make 17 recommendations related to the projected demand: from infrastructure, pipelines and linkage with existing hydrogen clusters; the potential for production at the airport or at nearby alternative sites; integration with above and/ or below ground storage; attracting SAF production to the region and promoting a super hub within the East Midlands region. The study also highlights the potential for replicable models at other airports worldwide, contributing to the global effort in reducing aviation-related emissions.
