Hydrogen is a feasible energy source for the aviation industry

“Does the hydrogen hype that once surrounded cars have better prospects with planes? Yes, but probably not in time to meet the aviation industry's emissions targets.

The past year has brought some vindication to those who see hydrogen as aviation's passport to a cleaner future. Last fall, European plane maker Airbus unveiled three hydrogen-powered aircraft concepts for 2035. More recently, U.K. startup ZeroAvia got backing from British Airways as part of a $24 million funding round. Likewise, Universal Hydrogen, led by former Airbus executive Paul Eremenko, has just raised $21 million from heavyweights such as the venture-capital subsidiaries of JetBlue and Toyota.

For decades, hydrogen was a promising future power source for passenger cars. Now most light vehicle makers favor batteries, and hydrogen is looking for a better home in trains and trucks, as championed by startups such as Nikola.

The aviation industry has set itself a target of halving emissions by 2050, which would be roughly in line with the 2016 Paris Agreement to limit climate change. Only a third of the reduction is expected to come from improvements in turbofans and airframes. Sustainable fuels can play a role, but production capacity is limited, and the most affordable ones remain pollutive.

Aviation's initial interest in the electric-vehicle revolution faded as executives realized that carrying heavy batteries more than very small ranges through the air is unfeasible. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries deliver only 9 megajoules per kilogram of weight, compared with 40 MJ/Kg for jet fuel.

Hydrogen, on the other hand, packs an impressive 140 MJ/Kg. Encouragingly, it is a relatively mature technology. Fuel cells, which are being used by Universal Hydrogen and ZeroAvia to convert light and regional aircraft, cost $40 per kilowatt, 68% less than in 2006, Bernstein Research estimates. That is expensive for a car but not a plane.

"We don't need any fundamental scientific improvements: It's an engineering problem," said Val Miftakhov, founder and chief executive officer of ZeroAvia.

Hydrogen isn't an environmental no-brainer yet. Turning electricity into hydrogen and then back into electricity is inefficient: Only about 45% of the energy ends up being used, compared with 90% for batteries, the World Energy Council estimates. Furthermore, only 0.1% of global hydrogen production is currently carbon-free; most comes from natural gas and coal.

Still, many analysts expect "green" hydrogen to become price-competitive relative to jet fuel in the next five years, making it a commercial option for airlines.

That still leaves many engineering challenges. Not all the energy in today's prototypes comes from hydrogen: ZeroAvia's aircraft needs a battery to provide additional power during takeoff, at least for now. Universal Hydrogen also employs a battery, but says it would play a smaller role. Also, hydrogen is energy-efficient in terms of mass but not volume: It requires big tanks that would make planes heavier and less aerodynamic, since fuel couldn't simply be stored in the wings as it is now.

Yet the fuel cells currently being tested won't be of use to Airbus or Boeing, because they would need to be prohibitively heavy to move bigger planes. The A320 replacement pitched by Airbus last year would mostly rely on a traditional engine to burn hydrogen directly. This basic technology has been around since the 1950s, but has many drawbacks, such as the emission of nitrogen oxide -- also a greenhouse gas.

There are also reasons to doubt Airbus's conviction in its own timeline for the rollout of hydrogen technology. It presented two other concepts at the same time: a regional aircraft that would be an unambitious goal for 2035; and a "blended wing" futuristic plane that would be far too ambitious.

Hydrogen seems like a useful power source to eventually decarbonize aviation. Thinking it can be deployed in time to meet the industry's 2050 emissions targets, however, requires a lot of optimism. ” [1]

Russia can use its vast unoccupied areas to produce hydrogen and its gas pipelines to export hydrogen to Europe and China. Lithuanians participating in such Russian business could earn a lot. 

1. EXCHANGE --- Heard on the Street: The Lofty Promise Of Hydrogen Power --- Hydrogen is a feasible energy source for the aviation industry but not a cure-all for meeting emissions targets. Sindreu, Jon. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y] 15 May 2021: B.12.

Thieves in Lithuanian fintech companies cooperate with thieves of international fintech companies

"Prosecutors suspect that more than 100 million euros were stolen a few weeks before Wirecard collapsed." Some of this money fell into the hands of one of Wirecard's executive Jan Marsalek.  

The Bank of Lithuania is conducting an investigation into the possible participation of the Lithuanian-registered fintech company Finolita Unio in the money laundering scandal of the German company Wirecard, which collapsed last year. 

As you know, the German payment giant Wirecard went bankrupt in June last year, after 1.9 billion euro was discovered missing and made public in its balance sheet. Munich prosecutors suspect that hundreds of millions of euros had "leaked" from the company before the bankruptcy was declared. According to the documents seen by the Financial Times, part of these funds was transferred through the Lithuanian company Finolita Unio." 

The Lithuanian government is very proud of the Lithuanian fintech and strongly supports them. 

Vagys Lietuvos fintechuose bendradarbiauja su tarptautinių fintechų vagimis

 

 "Kaip skelbiama, prokurorai įtaria, kad likus kelioms savaitėms iki „Wirecard“ žlugimo, Lietuvos įmone pasinaudota – įvykdyta daugiau nei 100 mln. eurų vagystė. „Dalis šių pinigų pateko į vieno iš „Wirecard“ vadovų, dabar besislapstančio Jano Marsaleko, rankas“, – rašo „Financial Times“. Lietuvos bankas vykdo tyrimą dėl praėjusiais metais žlugusios Vokietijos kompanijos „Wirecard“ pinigų plovimo skandale galimai dalyvavusios Lietuvoje registruotos fintech įmonės „Finolita Unio“.

Kaip žinia, Vokietijos mokėjimų milžinė „Wirecard“ bankrutavo praėjusių metų birželį – po to, kai jos balanse aptikta ir paviešinta 1,9 mlrd. eurų skylė. Miuncheno prokurorai įtaria, kad prieš bankroto paskelbimą iš įmonės „nutekėjo“ šimtai milijonų eurų. „Financial Times“ matytų dokumentų duomenimis, dalis šių lėšų pervesta per Lietuvoje veikiančią bendrovę „Finolita Unio“."

Lietuvos valdžia labai giriasi Lietuvos fintechais ir juos labai remia.

Europa labai blogai suveikė su skiepais

 "Europos komisija laikėsi taupumo požiūrio ir siekė gauti vakcinas šiek tiek mažiau, nei 448 milijonų žmonių, išleisdama pinigus, kurių bendra suma sudarė tik 2,7 mlrd. Eurų, arba maždaug 3,25 mlrd. dolerių. Britai tuo tarpu išleido net 4,3 mlrd. Eurų arba 5,2 mlrd. dolerių, kad  paskiepyti šiek tiek daugiau, nei 66 milijonus gyventojų. Savo rezultatais  ES derybos buvo tariamai sėkmingos: ES už savo „Pfizer“ ir „AstraZeneca“ dozes sumokėjo gerokai mažiau, nei britai ar Jungtinės Valstijos. 

Tačiau taupumas turėjo savo kainą. Kai vakcinų gamintojai susidūrė su problemomis, Europa greitai atsidūrė eilės gale - tuo tarpu Izraelis, Jungtinės Valstijos ir Didžioji Britanija, vakcinoms išleidusios daug daugiau, skaičiuojant vienam gyventojui, džiaugėsi sėkmingu skiepijimu. Taupumas buvo klaidinga ekonomika: tai atidėjo ekonomikos plėtrą, leido virusui plisti toliau, ir reikalavo daugiau apribojimų. Galutines išlaidas, vertinant žmogiškai ir ekonomiškai, sunku įvertinti, bet jos yra žymiai didesnės, nei britų ar amerikiečių.“ 

Taupumas mirties akivaizdoje yra trumparegiška politika. O dabar paklauskime Kubilių, Blinkevičiūtę ir kitus mūsų atstovus ES, ką jie ten veikia, gal rusus gaudo, prisigėrę belgiško alaus?

Europe Failed Miserably With Vaccines

"The European commission was very cautious in its approach, setting out to secure vaccines for a population of just under 448 million people with a total of 2.7 billion euros, or around $3.25 billion. By contrast Britain spent €4.3 billion, or $5.2 billion, to vaccinate a population of just over 66 million. On its own terms, the E.U.’s negotiations were successful: The E.U. paid substantially less than the United States for its doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

But frugality came at a price. When vaccine producers hit problems, Europe quickly found itself at the back of the line — while Israel, the United States and Britain, which had spent much more per capita on vaccines, enjoyed successful rollouts. Penny-pinching was a false economy: It delayed the rollout, allowing the virus to spread further and requiring more restrictions. The final cost, in human and economic terms, is hard to measure."

Saving in the face of death is a short-sighted policy. And now let's ask Kubilius, Blinkevičiūtė and our other representatives in the EU, what they do there, maybe they, drunk on Belgian beer, keep catching Russians? 

Tel Avivas, judrus Izraelio finansų centras, sukrėstas, kai atskrenda raketos

 „Per praėjusią savaitę vykusias kovas tarp Izraelio ir kovotojų grupuočių Gazoje, Tel Avivas buvo taikiniu mažiausiai 160 raketų, paleistų iš Palestinos pakrantės anklavo maždaug 40 mylių į pietus. Tel Avivo bombardavimas buvo pražūtingas posūkis šurmuliuojančiam didmiesčiui, kuris save įvardija, kaip nepertraukiamų Izraelio vakarėlių miestą Viduržemio jūros apylinkėse ir šalies finansinį mazgą. 

Savaitgalį gauti perspėjimai ir raketų salvės išsiuntė minias paplūdimio lankytojų, kurie bėgo slėptis, ir uždarė daugelį garsių miesto restoranų ir barų. Praėjusiuose kovos etapuose Tel Avivas buvo raketų šaudymo taikinys, bet ne taip intensyviai, kaip per pastarąsias kelias dienas. Nors kariuomenė teigia, kad jos „Iron Dome“ priešraketinė gynybos sistema sulaiko apie 90 procentų raketų, skrendančių į apgyvendintas vietoves, kai šaudomos didelės salvės, kai kurios raketos praslysta. 

Įsiplieskęs karo gaisras į bombų prieglaudas ir saugomas erdves nukreipė beveik milijoną izraeliečių. Šeštadienį vienas vyras, 55-erių Gershonas Franko, buvo nužudytas skeveldros, po to, kai raketa atsitrenkė į kelio vidurį už jo buto žaliuojančiame Tel Avivo priemiestyje Ramat Gane. 

Saulei pradėjus leistis į Viduržemio jūrą, Tel Avivo gatvės, kuriose dažniausiai gausu linksmuolių, buvo klaikiai apleistos. Nesustojantis miestas bent jau laikinai sustojo“. 

Tel Aviv, Israel’s Bustling Financial Hub, Shaken as Rockets Rain Down

"During the past week of fighting between Israel and militant groups in Gaza, Tel Aviv has been the target of at least 160 rockets fired out of the Palestinian coastal enclave about 40 miles to the south.

The bombardment of Tel Aviv has been a devastating turn of events for a bustling metropolis that brands itself as Israel’s nonstop party city on the Mediterranean and the financial hub of the country. Over the weekend, incoming alerts and rocket salvos sent crowds of beachgoers running for cover and closed down many of the city’s famed restaurants and bars.

Tel Aviv has been the target of rocket fire in past rounds of fighting, but not with anything like the intensity of the past few days. And while the military says its Iron Dome antimissile defense system intercepts about 90 percent of rockets heading for populated areas, when large barrages are fired, some slip through.

The incoming fire sent close to a million Israelis into bomb shelters and protected spaces. On Saturday, one man, Gershon Franko, 55, was killed by shrapnel after a rocket slammed into the middle of the road outside his apartment in the leafy Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan.

But as the sun began to sink into the Mediterranean, the streets of Tel Aviv, usually thronged with revelers, were eerily deserted. The nonstop city had come, at least temporarily, to a stop."