The future of power

The world has reached a turning point in the way it views energy. The climate emergency is forcing all industries to revolutionise the way they power themselves and their products, but at the same time global uncertainty promotes increased investment in military capability.

We hear in the media about travel on electric aeroplanes and hydrogen-powered ships, and about unmanned military drones and future combat. But what technologies sit behind this revolution, and what will the future of power mean for us?

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force’s partnership with Rolls-Royce.

From the original Eagle engines which powered Fairey aircraft in the 1920s, to the Adour engines which provide the propulsion for the Hawks, and the T56 engine providing power to the critical Orion anti-submarine aircraft, there is a proud history of technological advancements providing national defence capability.

This is not only present in aviation, but in land and sea defence as well, with a range of sea and land vehicles operating on our MTU diesel engines, and the future Hunter Class frigates opting for Rolls-Royce power and propulsion system, including MT30 engines.

In a world of low oil prices, it would be easy to think this fleet needs little modification in the way it’s powered. However, the demands of ever higher performance military platforms are driving new innovations in this space – hypersonic flight, stealth platforms, unmanned drones, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) platforms, and new high performance sensing and protective equipment are all items high on the agenda for the next generation of combat.

Leaps forward in electrical technologies, advanced thermal management systems, high platform efficiency, and the application of alternative or synthetic fuels are enabling the development of these capabilities.

This is the key to a two-fold protection from the development of defence capabilities: traditionally, in service, but also that the technologies developed have significant read across to passenger aviation to decrease its carbon footprint.

In order to tackle climate change, we must reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we emit globally. Aviation as an industry contributes between two and three per cent of these global emissions.

The strategy to decrease these emissions rests on three pillars: increasing fleet efficiency, increasing the use of low-carbon sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), and introducing disruptive propulsion methods such as electric flight.

eVTOLs will play an increasingly visible role in both the Defence and commercial world. These platforms will initially be hybrid-electric, running off batteries for quiet or emissions-free operation, for example within cities or for stealth missions, and using a gas turbine with sustainable fuel for range extension, to transport people or goods between cities or military bases.

Hybrid-electric power offers additional benefits by enabling distributed propulsion, increasing platform stability and introducing the potential for unmanned operation of these platforms.

Sea and land operations are also becoming increasingly electric. Electrification of Naval platforms opens up new potential for high-powered sensors, and the use of directed energy. Land vehicles also are increasingly realising efficiency and performance benefits through hybrid-electric systems.

Powering this new electrified fleet while meeting national commitments on emissions targets remains a challenge for many countries.