LH2 supply for the initial development phase of H2-powered aviation

• Optimized LH 2 supply costs for the initial development phase of H 2 -powered aviation. • Comparison of LH 2 supply routes for airports. • Identification of airports that are particularly suitable to be first movers in H 2 -powered aviation. • Determination of land availabilities around airports for green H 2 production. This study evaluates the design of liquid hydrogen infrastructure for the initial development phase of hydrogen-powered aviation, focusing on airports with low hydrogen-powered aircraft traffic. Existing research has primarily focused on large-scale scenarios, overlooking the transition phase and the requirements for early-stage hydrogen-powered aviation. Using linear optimisation models for the techno-economic analysis, this study evaluates the best-suited hydrogen supply routes and the role of additional gaseous hydrogen demand at the airport. Additionally, criteria are identified which make an airport suitable to be a first mover in hydrogen-powered aviation. On-site liquid hydrogen production is identified as economically advantageous for small demands, whereas liquid hydrogen truck supply emerges as a cost-effective solution for demands larger than around 1000 tLH 2 /a. While a gaseous hydrogen demand at the airport has only a small influence on the resulting supply costs, the use of partly shared hydrogen production infrastructure with nearby airports can reduce the supply costs by up to 19.6%. Therefore, in addition to the airports and hydrogen production location, the proximity to other airports or industries that increase the liquid hydrogen demand can be an important factor for first-mover airports. Smaller or regional airports may be well suited to this role, as they typically have fewer space constraints for the deployment of green hydrogen production infrastructure and in the surrounding region for the deployment of renewable energy sources.