Stuart Brown
Professional Head of Rolling Stock, Jacobs
Chris Pickard
Director, Sustainable Aviation, Jacobs
Ben Tirunawarkarisu
Director, Programmes and Advisory, Jacobs
Global consultant Jacobs is a specialist in sustainable solutions, supporting transport organisations across the public and private sectors to advance decarbonisation agendas.
Which areas are you working in to introduce new sustainable technologies?
We support sectors from aviation, highways and bridges, rail and transit to ports and maritime: helping airports prepare for a future with hydrogen aircraft fuels; looking at the transition of diesel to battery-powered trains; and supporting the expansion of EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure.
How advanced is the introduction of battery-powered trains?
Testing is expected to begin soon, for example, with the introduction of a new battery-powered train to Irish Rail’s Dublin Area Rapid Transport (DART) system. These trains can use the existing electrification infrastructure and new fast-charging installations to charge the batteries to allow operation on non-electrified lines and allow the replacement of diesel trains. Jacobs has supported the Irish DART and similar projects in the UK. Similar technologies are also in service or are being introduced in other countries such as Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
What are the challenges of EV charging?
Road users want easy access to sustainable fuel. We are involved in projects to accelerate delivery of EV charging infrastructure on road networks, helping clients in areas including funding, demand forecasting, strategic planning, service provision and delivery models. There is a clear appetite out there, but it is more than just being mindful of EV drivers as the end users. Public and commercial entities across transport, infrastructure and energy must collaborate to get the right infrastructure on the ground.
What is the future for aviation fuels?
We are helping airports understand how to be ready for new fuels. While sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is similar to existing aviation fuel, hydrogen will be more challenging for airports, particularly for larger aircraft, which will need liquid hydrogen to be kept at -253C. Our projects look at forecasting demand for hydrogen, understanding the infrastructure required and how it fits into a traditional master plan for an airport. In terms of timescale, smaller aircraft using gaseous hydrogen will likely operate this decade, with larger aircraft fuelled by liquid hydrogen potentially operating from around 2040 onwards.
Aviation has no choice but to look at
sustainable fuels. Otherwise, it is going to
become more and more unacceptable to fly.
Why should carriers start to think about alternative fuels?
It is a vital contribution to global targets around sustainability, and particularly important for aviation. Airports can decarbonise their own footprint, but that is just a fraction of aviation’s impact, as almost all emissions come from flying. If we keep growing without decarbonising, then aviation will continue to be a huge carbon emitter as other industries decarbonise. Aviation has no choice but to look at sustainable fuels. Otherwise, it is going to become more and more unacceptable to fly.
Is there an appetite to transition towards more sustainable technologies?
Most clients are keen to meet environmental targets, but implementing these goals is challenging due to the complexity and multidisciplinary nature of the subject. Moreover, organisations vary in their maturity, understanding and intent in this area.
We can identify the best solutions, determine how they might safely be introduced and explore digital technologies that enable sustainability. The intersection of transport and energy is ripe for commercial investment, but it’s crucial to ensure effective collaboration between the public and private sectors.
How do you support organisations on their decarbonisation journey?
We bring our knowledge and lessons learned from delivering hundreds of projects around the world to support clients. We have technical, engineering, commercial, economic and planning expertise, and energy teams that offer insights to our clients from our global experience. We offer clients advice on how best to navigate the transition to sustainable power sources. As the leading provider of science-based consulting and advisory solutions in aviation, we are actively involved in multiple research projects.
What does the future hold?
We are often asked: is the future SAF, hydrogen or battery-electric? The answer is all of these, and each must be developed if we are to effectively reduce our climate impact.
With approximately 45,000 people worldwide, Jacobs works with transportation and other clients to deliver equitable, sustainable solutions for smart, integrated critical infrastructure that serves people and communities globally.
