A new Discussion Note from the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi), entitled Sustainable Aviation Fuels – The Way Forward: From Biological to Synthetic Fuels, focuses on the key role Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) play in meeting the aviation industry’s commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.
One approach to achieving net-zero emissions would be to cap or abolish a significant amount of air travel and transport. Some countries, including France, have already begun to restrict domestic air travel. However, limiting the use of aircraft internationally would be socio-economically unsustainable in a globalised economy – especially because the greatest growth in aviation is forecast to be in countries that are outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and will be very reluctant to curb air travel. Making flying environmentally sustainable by reducing carbon emissions in line with the ICAO net-zero goal is clearly more feasible. To meet that target, SAF are essential.
In order to open the debate to the options available, this Discussion Note was prepared by David Robinson of Oxford Climate Policy (OCP) with contributions from Blas L Pérez Henriquez and Thomas Jaramillo from Stanford Energy, Benito Müller from OCP and the Environmental Change Institute of the University of Oxford, Anthony Patt and Aldo Steinfeld from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, John Rhys the University of Oxford, and Rod from Energy in Demand (EiD).
SAFs are “drop in” fuels that replace fossil-based fuels (kerosene) without the need to change aircraft engines or fuelling infrastructure. Synthetic SAFs, while today accounting only for a tiny proportion of jet fuel, could in the coming decades replace all kerosene in the aviation sector, as explained in the Discussion Note.
More specifically, the Note:
- makes the case for SAFs, arguing that they are now the key to achieving the net-zero target;
- introduces the main SAF technologies pathways, namely biofuels and synthetic fuels (e-fuels and solar fuels), along with their strengths, weaknesses, and prospects;
- reviews cost reduction potential, noting that synthetic fuels are the most expensive now but have the potential to be competitive, sustainable, and scalable;
- identifies key barriers to SAF development, in particular the enormous investment required to achieve the required scale; and
- argues that the key to developing SAFs is policy frameworks that support research and investment from public, private, and charitable sources.
Your views and feedback are welcome.
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 