The production of renewable aviation fuel will triple by 2024, the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 5% by 2030 seems impossible to achieve, we must prepare well with hydrogen because it is the true fuel of the future that does not pollute.

  press review | June 3, 2024

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Aviation today is responsible for around 2.5% of CO2 emissions globally, and the majority of these (around 84%) are generated during flight, while ground operations involving airport and travel to reach it contribute 7%. The near future is exciting, and aircraft manufacturers are developing electric and hydrogen propulsion technologies, today great temporary hopes are placed in the Saf, naturally electric propulsion would require huge commitments due precisely to the use of batteries also for weight management , in addition to the fact that pollution would not occur in the consumption but in the production of electricity, while hydrogen would lead towards the main road to truly achieve zero pollution in both production and consumption.

geagency/greenair – 03.06.2024

Currently, the production of non-fossil aviation fuels is expected to triple by the end of 2024 compared to last year. This was declared by the main association of airlines, which mainly rely on these products to decarbonize their operations. Saf, acronym for Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or the alternative fuel to kerosene in use up to now, would be produced from industrial, vegetable and domestic waste which should make the current aviation technology in use more sustainable, and HPp would also respond to the characteristics of SAF fuel production. This seems like the quickest way to reduce net CO2 emissions in air transport, but this does not mean that it is the most convenient. In fact, only hydrogen is what would ensure zero pollution. According to IATA, SAFs “will represent 0.53% of global aviation fuel needs” but still have their share of pollution and cost overruns. SAF helps reduce net emissions by up to 60% and its great advantage is that it can be used on existing aircraft engines. There are three problems however: Saf costs much more than jet fuel - its production is still limited and the cost then falls on the price of the traveller's ticket. And here again we need to think of a solution that is no longer alternative but decisive, and for which we return to the hydrogen discussion.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement that “projections of a tripling of sustainable aviation fuel production in 2024, to 1.9 billion litres, are on track to become reality.” . Despite this jump, total volumes of these products, known by the acronym SAF, "will represent 0.53% of global aviation fuel needs" in 2024, IATA highlighted on the sidelines of a summit of its members in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The establishment of a SAF Registry in the first quarter of 2025 would be useful to accelerate the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels. This was announced by Iata - International Air Transport Association, during the annual meeting in Dubai, explaining that reductions in emissions from Saf will be accurately accounted for and reported. In fact, the Register is developed in consultation with airlines, government authorities, international organizations, OEMs, fuel manufacturers and suppliers, airports and corporate travel management companies. Saf is expected to account for up to 65% of the total carbon mitigation needed to achieve net zero emissions in aviation by 2050. This is very different with the implication of hydrogen for aircraft as it would have an advantage given that it would be at zero emissions immediately, obviously hydrogen from HPp technology offers many more advantages compared to the much sponsored green hydrogen, where green specifies water consumption with electrolysers for the production of hydrogen therefore with impacts on nature, to which further costs will then have to be added for the delicate management and transformation.

HPp illustrates that there is a big difference between liquid and gaseous hydrogen fuel. The second is the one that has been used so far, yet its liquid version is much more energy dense. This means that it weighs less and also allows the tanks to be less bulky: this frees up space to be used for the transport of passengers and goods in greater safety and efficiency.

To abandon fossil fuels, SAF production is progressing very rapidly, given that in 2019 it was only 25 million liters, according to Iata, which federates 320 companies representing 83% of global air traffic. The airline industry, which according to some data currently contributes to around 3% of global CO2 emissions, has committed to “net zero” emissions by 2050 and is counting on SAF for 65% of the reductions needed to achieve these goals, while the rest comes from new technologies, including hydrogen-powered aircraft, optimized operations on the ground and in the air, and carbon offsets.

Specifically for hydrogen-powered aircraft, liquid hydrogen aviation fuel also allows for much greater autonomy compared to classic fuels and biofuels used up to now. For example, the plane that had previously used hydrogen gas could travel a maximum distance of 750 km. Today, however, the same plane can fly for 1500 km with liquid hydrogen: effectively double.

Making such large quantities of renewable fuel available will require a dramatic increase in production capacity: according to IATA calculations, aviation should consume 450 billion liters of SAF per year by mid-century. On Sunday, IATA director general Willie Walsh hailed this prospect as "encouraging", although "there is still a long way to go" before the SAF's production lines are operational. He called on governments to speed up the process. The obligation to incorporate SAF has been adopted in Europe, while the production of these fuels in the United States is heavily subsidized by the IRA stimulus plan of the current President Joe Biden while waiting for Europe to organize itself and find an even more advantageous and truly ecological, perhaps with HPp. What is certain is that at the same time it will be necessary to activate HPp hydrogen, its high-performance hydrogen guarantees better engine performance and greater efficiency with lower costs without producing any pollution and without impacting the costs of tickets and freight transport for travellers.

The collective global goal agreed by governments six months ago to reduce CO2 emissions in international aviation by 2030 through the use of sustainable aviation fuels and low-carbon fuels is either impossible to achieve or, at best highly ambitious, said Willie Walsh, director general of IATA at the association's General Assembly in Dubai, hosted by Emirates.

Achieving the goal required governments to provide concrete measures to facilitate the exponential increase in SAF they were calling for, Walsh said. He said the industry has been rightly criticized in the past for setting environmental targets that it could not and did not achieve. Meanwhile, IATA expects industry net profits to reach $30.5 billion in 2024, up from $27.4 billion last year.

A clean, proven alternative to current jet fuel is needed. The challenge is to accelerate efficiently with different and innovative raw materials and production methods. We have a shared commitment with governments to decarbonise by 2050 towards using low-carbon aviation fuels and other greener energy for aviation versus using cleaner zero-energy.