Hy-Hybrid Energy’s CEO, Dr. Naveed Akhtar has been working on hydrogen and fuel cells since more than two decades.
Dr. Akhtar witnessed the hydrogen industry sector moving slowly until 2015-2016, soon after, the progress in hydrogen fuel cells ramped-up exponentially. This coincides with the timings of the first commercial fuel cell vehicle launched by Toyota (i.e. Mirai) which has finally broken the chicken and egg scenario that was always seen as the major hurdle in bringing this technology forward. Taking Germany as an example, there are currently 84 hydrogen refuelling stations open now.
Dr. Akhtar is best described as a deep thinker and a future planner. After working for several years in hydrogen industry, he began to realize that it is the right time to gather world’s experts to discuss decarbonization of the aviation sector. Dr. Akhtar says: “With majority of the countries setting-up net zero carbon emission targets, we need to work on one of the most harder-to-abate (aviation) sectors before it gets too late and we believe Hydrogen is the answer.” Dr. Akhtar further added: “We are setting-up the formation of International Hydrogen Aviation Association (IHAA) which will form an ideal platform to work together on this most urgently required decarbonization sector. Our future generations will see Hydrogen in the skies carrying them from one place to another.”
This year Glasgow will host the UN Climate Change Summit, COP26, where up to 30,000 delegates are expected to attend the event in order to produce an international response to the climate emergency. Hy-Hybrid Energy is closely following the regional progress and focusing on the key sectors which need utmost attention for decarbonization. The latest report on “Reducing emissions in Scotland-2019, Progress Report to the Scottish Parliament” suggests that the number of passengers on international flights from main Scottish airports has increased by ~ 49% since 2007. Aviation emissions have been increased ~6% in 2017 and are now ~56% higher than 1990 levels. This has largely been due to an increase in emissions from international flights, which are now ~81% greater than in 1990. Therefore, it makes sense to strengthen efforts in decarbonizing aviation sector.
The role of hydrogen in decarbonizing road, rail, shipping, aviation, industrial and household applications is now widely accepted. The first International Hydrogen Aviation Conference (IHAC 2020) will focus on the use of hydrogen in aviation, the associated benefits, and emerging challenges. The IHAC 2020 is the first event to be hosted in Glasgow, Scotland. The event is an opportunity to connect with experts in the industry and an open invitation to all stakeholders to participate in the next wave of hydrogen in aviation. The formal launch of IHAA is expected during the event.
