Design and route optimisation for an airship with onboard solar energy harvesting
Pflaum C, Riffelmacher T, Jocher A (2023)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2023
Journal
Book Volume: 42
Pages Range: 289-303
Journal Issue: 1
DOI: 10.1080/14786451.2023.2189488
Abstract
Based on commercial passenger-carrying airships like LZ129 or R100, a hypothetical electric rigid framed airship including a solar cell covered surface and a lithium-ion battery is designed. The size of the battery and the coverage with solar cells are selected such that long-haul flights are possible. To simulate flight times, weather data from 2019 and time-dependent solar irradiation are used. Travel route and battery use are optimised in order to reduce flight times. For a mid-range and long-haul use case for passenger or freight transport, travel times have been calculated. Building on these results, analysis of CO2 emissions, land-use, and operating costs are carried out to reveal that depending on the use case, CO2 emissions of solar-powered airships could be as low as 1% to 5% of the emissions of a conventional aircraft at an estimated energy consumption in USD per km of 0.5% to 2.5%.
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Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Pflaum, C., Riffelmacher, T., & Jocher, A. (2023). Design and route optimisation for an airship with onboard solar energy harvesting. International Journal of Sustainable Energy, 42(1), 289-303. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14786451.2023.2189488
MLA:
Pflaum, Christoph, Tim Riffelmacher, and Agnes Jocher. "Design and route optimisation for an airship with onboard solar energy harvesting." International Journal of Sustainable Energy 42.1 (2023): 289-303.
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