Making flying more energy efficient – possibly and in the future

One of the stories that crept under my personal radar a couple of week ago related to aircraft engines. Aircrafts account of 2% of the greenhouse gas emissions. The impact of this figure is thought to be higher because the emissions are expelled at height, where they can do the most absorption of light energy. Further aircraft expel vapour trials which are thought to have an effect on the amount of light reaching the surface of the planet by dimming it. So it is possible, but not completely proved, that flying gives us the worst of all possible worlds – heating the air and dimming the surface.

The overall effect of flying may be as much as 4% of the greenhouse gas emissions of the United Kingdom. Domestic water heating, by comparison, accounts for at least 10% of the United Kingdom’s emissions. If everyone stopped washing in warm water we would produce less greenhouse gases than if we suddenly all stopped flying.

It is hard to give a precise figure – that is my guess – because you have to agree on which flights you log as those of the United Kingdom and take account of flights elsewhere specifically for United Kingdom purposes.

It is therefore terribly important that emissions are reduced, wherever they come from. The Business Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, has announced that £45 million of taxpayer’s money will be spent on funding a “partnership” (as these things are fashionably bit inaccurately called) between nine Universities and Rolls-Royce, who produce aircraft engines, in a quest to discover ways of making aircraft engines more efficient.

If the research finds a more efficient engine, there is no guarantee that the world’s airlines and military will adopt it. The nine Universities concerned would to better to focus research on projects less grand but with better environmental effect.

It is an interesting contrast to the way that the Government has treated water heating, where for £45 million, there are existing ways to reduce emission. The aircraft industry has over the years received many hand outs form the taxpayer. Mr Mandelson has been quoted as justifying this with “”The knowledge, skills and high-end production the UK offers give us huge opportunities to benefit as global demand for low carbon products grows.” Yes, the opportunities are so huge that Rolls-Royce needs a hand out in order to take advantage of them.

By all means invest in low carbon research which is important, but when the ship is sinking it is not the time for the crew to start re-arranging the deckchairs.