The publication looks at four case studies in detail – the collaboration occurring in the United States, the Mexican Government’s work to develop aviation bio-fuels, a project in the United Kingdom to turn household waste into aviation bio-fuel and a collaboration between the aviation sector and research institutions to bring algae-sourced bio-fuels to market.
It also takes a brief look at a number of other current projects.
“It wasn’t many years ago that the idea of using bio-fuels for flight was dismissed out of hand on technical and safety grounds,” said Paul Steele, Executive Director of the coalition.
“Today, we have tested a range of bio-fuels in flight, we have made our way through a very tough technical standards process to ensure flight safety and we have been working hard to establish the correct sustainability criteria for the fuels we use,” he said.
According to Steele, the biggest challenge to the widespread production and adoption of aviation bio-fuel lies in ensuring a steady, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable supply of this new energy source.
“The fossil fuel industry has had a century to develop its fuel sources, supply chains and distribution networks -- not to mention its profit margins,” he said. “The fledgling aviation bio-fuels industry will need to catch up and this will require capital from the investment community and start-up incentives and de-risking from governments.”
Powering the Future of Flight also identifies “six easy steps” that governments and policymakers could follow to assist aviation and the bio-fuels sector in embracing sustainable aviation bio-fuels.
The steps are:
1) Foster research into new feedstock sources and refining processes
2) De-risk public and private investments in aviation bio-fuels
3) Provide incentives for airlines to use bio-fuels from an early stage
4) Encourage stakeholders to commit to robust international sustainability criteria
5) Understand local green growth opportunities
6) Establish coalitions encompassing all parts of the supply chain
“Of course, these six steps are not actually an ‘easy’ task. What we set out to do is illustrate the process in a simple way,” Steele said.
“It is clear that aviation is ready to become a major customer in the sustainable bio-fuel market,” he continued. “It is vital for our future and it is an important step in reducing carbon emissions. This publication, we hope, will provide some inspiration and ideas based on work already underway.”
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