Updates

University of Cambridge leads team developing a simulator to accelerate the path to net zero flight

Published on August 25, 2021

Cambridge University announces the launch of the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA), an international group of experts in aerospace, economics, policy, and climate science, who are building an interactive evidence-based simulator that allows you to explore scenarios for achieving net zero flight.

The simulator will capture the whole aviation sector, from the sources of renewable electricity and raw materials to the production and transport of fuel, and the introduction of new aircraft technologies and operations. Leaders in industry and government will gain an understanding of the potential for change and the trade-offs between decisions. The hope is that the simulator will guide innovation, investment, and policy action, as well as providing wider educational benefits to the public.

The Aviation Impact Accelerator is led by Cambridge University’s Whittle Laboratory and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and includes a team of multidisciplinary experts from across the University together with the Air Transportation Systems Lab at University College London, and the Melbourne Energy Institute at the University of Melbourne. The AIA is in partnership with HRH The Prince of Wales’s Sustainable Markets Initiative, The World Economic Forum, Cambridge Zero, MathWorks, and SATAVIA, and is supported by industry advisors Rolls-Royce, Boeing, BP, Heathrow, and Siemens Energy.

Rob Miller quote

Through an intuitive interface, the user will be able to simulate future scenarios to 2050 and calculate the resource requirements, such as renewable electricity and land use, the climate impact, both CO₂ and non-CO₂, and the cost of flying. Options in the simulator include the type of energy used, such as hydrogen, batteries, and a range of sustainable aviation fuels, the type of aircraft and aircraft technologies, the way in which aircraft are operated, and the value judgments made by the public and government. The simulator will take a whole system approach, from the source of the electricity, to the methods of fuel production and transport, to the passenger journey.

Brian Yutko, Chief Engineer for Sustainability and Future Mobility at Boeing said: “The Boeing team is excited to engage collaboratively in the Aviation Impact Accelerator to evaluate potential pathways to a net-zero aviation sector. By working across academia and industry, we can take a truly systems-level approach to assessing the life-cycle impacts of aviation from energy source all the way to passenger journeys. This work will inform how we can take further actions to contribute to the UK government 2050 net-zero goal and ensure aerospace remains safe and sustainable.”

The simulator was conceived in early 2020 at a roundtable hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales and attended by senior industry leaders, government and academia.

Clare Shine, Director, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) said: “International travel helps people and societies connect. To retain this opportunity for future generations, we must urgently address aviation’s environmental impact as part of systemic decarbonisation of the economy. This calls for imaginative and inclusive innovation, which is why the Aviation Impact Accelerator brings together insight from industry, policy, and civil society.”

John Holland-Kaye, CEO, Heathrow Airport said: "The Aviation Impact Accelerator will play a vital role in highlighting the action required to achieve net zero aviation and support Heathrow to ensure 2019 is our year of 'peak carbon'. The first priority is accelerated use of sustainable aviation fuel. Government can act to unlock SAF through a mandate stimulating supply, plus incentives to drive demand. The prize is a new British growth industry and UK leadership in the race to net zero."

Alan Newby, Director, Aerospace Technology & Future Programmes, Rolls-Royce said: “Collaboration across industry and academia is vital to the success of a more sustainable future for aviation as we move towards reaching the ambitious decarbonisation targets that have been set for the sector. Initiatives such as AIA allow us to work together to increase the pace at which we can deliver the insights and analysis that will drive the technology needed to support the race to net zero. Rolls-Royce is fully focused on contributing to the success of this important project.”

Dr Emily Shuckburgh OBE, Director, Cambridge Zero said: “The transition to a zero-carbon future requires a bold response to climate change. The Aviation Impact Accelerator is such a bold response, bringing together multidisciplinary expertise to inform decision making and enable meaningful change.”

Professor Andreas Schafer, Air Transport Systems Laboratory, University College London said: “The Air Transportation Systems Lab at UCL is excited to be part of a leading-edge consortium that explores the technological, economic, environmental and societal trade-offs associated with a deep decarbonisation of the global aviation industry.”

Dr Adam Durant, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, SATAVIA said: “SATAVIA's collaboration with the Aviation Impact Accelerator will analyse aviation's non-CO₂ climate impacts over the full range of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) types. By combining our world-leading contrail modelling with AIA's ground-breaking whole-systems view of SAF and aviation's climate impact, we will generate timely insight to inform the industry’s sustainability strategy.”

Steve Scrimshaw, Vice President, Siemens Energy UK&I said: “We are very pleased to be involved in this project. The interactive whole systems approach taken by the Aviation Impact Accelerator offers an exciting opportunity to provide insights, and to play out scenarios, allowing us to accelerate ways of unlocking change in this hard to decarbonise sector.”

The official launch of the Aviation Impact Accelerator will take place at COP26 in November 2021.

Find out more about the Aviation Impact Accelerator here.

Come and visit the Laboratory and our facilities on our open days.

View upcoming open days