All aboard

Clean Sky is not just about technology, but also delivering on wider EU policy goals, says Janez Potocnik

During the Le Bourget air show last year, I announced the Clean Sky joint technology initiative (JTI) - the commission’s proposal to work with industry to create a new public/private partnership to support research into cleaner, greener, quieter aircraft. On 5 February Clean Sky was launched, with 600 researchers and business people involved in aeronautics research celebrating the speedy progress made – six months from proposal to adoption of the legal instrument setting up the JTI. The event was also a chance for me to discover what the opportunities are to develop the technologies that Europe needs for the next generations of civil aircraft.

Clean Sky is a public/private partnership between industry, the research community and the European commission that will pump investment of €1.6bn into aeronautics research. It will not only keep Europe at the cutting edge technologically, but will also help us deliver on our wider EU policy goals, helping to combat climate change, enhance European competitiveness and provide growth and jobs.

Last month the European commission took a global lead by adopting a climate change and renewable energy package aimed at cutting CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, and halving emissions by 2050. Achieving these targets will require action on a number of fronts. Today aeronautics accounts for about three per cent of CO2 emissions worldwide. But with passenger numbers increasing by five per cent every year, these emission levels will grow over coming decades.

We have to act now. Europe is moving towards a low carbon economy. The agenda for aeronautics has been set by the inclusion of aviation in the emissions trading scheme from 2010. It will mean meeting the challenges of significantly reduced fuel consumption and emissions. This should be seen not simply as a challenge, but also an opportunity for the aviation sector. Our investments now will enable European companies to respond to worldwide demand for aircraft that are more fuel efficient, less polluting, and less noisy; and those industries that start soonest will benefit the most. The investment in Clean Sky will secure Europe’s future in a competitive market.

Technology is not the only answer to the climate change challenge, but its impact should not be underestimated. Clean Sky technologies hold great promise. Through the series of innovations expected in the next generations of aircraft, Clean Sky has the potential to achieve reductions of up to 40 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions, about 40 per cent in nitrous oxide emissions and 20 decibels in noise emissions. What do these percentages mean? In concrete terms this is a reduction of about two to three billion tonnes of CO2 over the next 40 years. This will reduce smog, acid rain and degraded water quality caused by nitrous oxides. And this will directly improve the quality of life for the many people affected by aircraft noise, in an age when air traffic will continue to increase.

Achieving these results will require impressive technological developments in a wide range of fields. Clean Sky will make these happen through a number of technology demonstrators focusing on new fuel-efficient engines, advanced electrical systems and optimisation of flight trajectories. In addition, the whole product life cycle will be tackled to optimise the design, manufacture and recycling of aircraft. The results will lead to improvements being applied to a range of aircraft types and will be combined with breakthroughs in new structures and wing technologies and evaluated using simulation networks.

Technology is only one impressive aspect of Clean Sky. One of the most remarkable things about the initiative is the diverse group of contributors that has worked together to bring the joint undertaking to fruition. Clean Sky groups a selection of leading companies within the European aviation industry, with small and medium-sized enterprises, universities and research institutes. It is a type of collaboration that is new and exciting for research and innovation in Europe.

There will undoubtedly be challenges ahead in establishing and running such an innovative vehicle for research. There will be a variety of legal and financial issues that we must get right. This process – which will involve discussions with our private partners – is important to ensure the success and smooth operation of these first JTIs, and also of the ones to come.

Over the seven-year period that Clean Sky will run, it will receive up to €800m in funding from the European community, an amount that will be matched by industry. The greening of aeronautics and air transport will be an excellent contribution to Europe’s objectives on energy and climate change. And with the introduction of the advanced solutions, European aviation will gain competitive advantages that will be a benefit to all.