At the Farnborough International Air Show, Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, announced the successful completion of integrated laboratory testing for the European Union's Clean Aviation SWITCH programme at The Grid, its advanced electric power systems testing facility in Rockford, Illinois. Following successful validation with simulated aircraft and engine environments, the hybrid-electric propulsion subsystems will now move to Airbus laboratories for the next stage of aircraft-level integration, where engineers will focus on aircraft architecture, battery integration, and energy management.

Kristin Smith, Vice President of Electric Power Systems at Collins Aerospace, described the achievement as the most extensive integrated systems evaluation conducted at The Grid since the facility opened in 2023. She noted that combining Collins' technological expertise with strong industry partnerships is helping demonstrate how hybrid-electric propulsion can lower fuel consumption in future-generation aircraft.

The SWITCH programme is designed to enhance propulsion efficiency for upcoming short- and medium-haul aircraft by incorporating hybrid-electric technology into a Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engine. The system features two megawatt-class electric motor-generators and associated controllers developed by Collins Aerospace. Pratt & Whitney supported the testing by integrating the powertrain and supplying the hybrid-electric engine controller, while Airbus provided the aircraft energy-management interface controller. GKN Aerospace contributed the high-voltage electrical wiring system used during the tests.

Building on the SWITCH programme, The Grid will next support the Airbus-led LEIA (Large ScalE Integration Demonstrator of Hybrid Electrical Architecture) initiative. In this project, Collins Aerospace serves as the technical lead for energy sources. Supported by the Clean Aviation programme, LEIA is focused on advancing hybrid-electric technologies for future short- and medium-range aircraft, including high-voltage power generation and distribution systems.

As part of LEIA, Collins will supply a range of advanced electrical technologies, including four scalable electric motor-generators, next-generation electronic controllers, power distribution equipment, and environmental control systems designed to improve aircraft reliability and passenger comfort. Its facility in Nördlingen, Germany, will manufacture solid-state power controllers and power distribution panels that replace conventional mechanical circuit breakers and relays, reducing system weight while enhancing reliability. Testing activities will be conducted across multiple Collins sites, including The Grid in the United States, as well as facilities in Toulouse, Frankfurt, Cork, Rome, and Solihull.

Pierre Durel, Project Officer at Clean Aviation, said the SWITCH and LEIA programmes represent critical milestones in making hybrid-electric aircraft for short- and medium-haul operations commercially viable. He highlighted the importance of international collaboration across Europe and beyond and expressed anticipation for the full-scale demonstration tests planned for 2027.

The SWITCH and LEIA initiatives build upon Collins Aerospace's ongoing collaboration with industry partners through several Clean Aviation projects, including HECATE and AWATAR, which focus on advancing aircraft electrification technologies. Collins is also contributing to the programme's latest ultra-efficient regional aircraft initiatives, OSYRYS and PHARES. The SWITCH project is coordinated by MTU Aero Engines.

Dailycsr.com – 13 May 2019 – Last month, Nestlé made an announcement to reveal that it verified its “agricultural commodities” and it found it to be “deforestation-free”, whereby marking a milestone achievement in the organisation’s efforts towards attaining “zero-deforestation”.
 
Nestlé had pledged to the “zero-deforestation” commitment in the year of 2010, whereby it sought to make sure that all its products across the globe would be deforestation free by the year of 2020. In this journey, the company has worked with various partners such as “Airbus and Earthworm Foundation” as well as its suppliers in the pursuit of deforestation risks.
 
In order to achieve this goal, Nestlé has process that combines multiple tools like “certification, supply chain mapping, on-the-ground verification and satellite imagery from the Starling system”, the latter stemmed from the collaboration of “Airbus, Earthworm Foundation and Nestlé”.
 
At present, the system comes in handy for Nestlé for monitoring “its entire palm oil supply chain”. Moreover, the company is also conducting pilot projects for “pulp and paper”, while plans are rife about extending the same to soya sometimes later this year.
 
Starling proves to be a “cutting-edge technology” which has been instrumental in Nestlé’s attempt to find out “where deforestation occurs, what drives it and who is involved”. With these information in hand, the company is better equipped to deal with compliance, “challenge its suppliers and prioritize transformative actions”.
 
In the words of the Head of Operations’ executive vice-president at Nestlé S.A., Magdi Batato:
“Innovation and technology like Starling is accelerating our journey towards zero deforestation. This is transforming the way we manage deforestation risks in our palm oil supply chain – we are using this tool to hold our suppliers and ourselves accountable. We are satisfied with our progress, but there is much more to do. The last miles to go are always the hardest.”
 
While, the chief technology officer at Airbus, Grazia Vittadini added:
“Starling turns terabytes of satellite images into actionable insight, enabling customers to understand where and why deforestation happens and make the best possible decisions”.
 
Sustainability within supply chains demands transparency. As a result, Nestlé has come out with “Transparency Dashboard” which features information on “deforestation trends” with the help of Starling data, whereby it observes the area around Nestlé’s source mills. The Chief Executive Officer of Earthworm Foundation, Bastien Sachet, said:
“Nestlé is the first company to use satellite monitoring across all its palm oil supply chain, accelerating its no deforestation commitment and providing such level of transparency to the public. The data collected through these satellites points out that challenges remain and no single company can achieve that on its own. All businesses that have similar commitments must start monitoring, verifying and most importantly acting on the basis of what these tools reveal to us. Eventually, publically available information about deforestation and supply chains will allow consumers and investors to really see which companies are truly walking the talk”.
 
 
 
 
References:
3blmedia.com