Energy Demands
Airplanes
Facts
While some testing with biofuels is being done by large commercial airlines, most jet airplanes currently exclusively use jet fuel, which is made from petroleum.
Overview
Airplanes account for only about 9.3% of transport energy use in the U.S., though their share will climb to 10.5% by 2035. As far as energy consumption is concerned, a jumbo jet flying from London to Sydney is like nearly 400 compact vehicles travelling over 16,000 km (9,942 miles)—the average distance a single person drives in a year.
Source: EIU Calculation based on data from the Energy Information Administration
Source: "The Dirty Sky," "The Economist," June 10, 2006
Airplanes generate about 3% of the world's man-made carbon emissions. However because of the presence of nitrogen oxides in jet-engine emissions and the fact that they are emitted into the most sensitive part of the atmosphere, their effect is particularly damaging. Airplanes account for 10.3% of all transport-related carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon emissions from aircraft are currently growing by 1.4% per year.
Source: “Annual Energy Outlook 2010”; Energy Information Administration
Advances in technology are helping improve airplane engine efficiencies, but better planning can also help reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. In May 2009, the International Air Transportation Association announced a new plan to reduce carbon emissions from aircraft. By 2013, one hundred European airports will allow planes to descend all the way from cruising altitude to the runway in one smooth glide, saving up to 450 kilograms (992 pounds) of carbon dioxide per landing. In all, airlines are hoping to reduce carbon emissions by 500,000 metric tons (515 U.S. tons) each year. More efficient flight paths leading to shorter flight times can also save fuel and reduce emissions. Every minute of flying time reduces fuel consumption by about 62 liters and carbon dioxide emissions by 160 kilograms
Source: “New plan to reduce planes' CO2 emissions”; USA Today; available: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2009-03-31-airplane-emissions_N.htm
In terms of energy, flying a fully loaded A380 aircraft, the largest airliner in the world today, generates the equivalent emissions of a nine-mile (14.5 km) queue of cars moving on the road below. By 2030, Airbus estimates there will be over 1,500 of these planes in use.
Source: "The Dirty Sky," "The Economist," June 10, 2006
There are opportunities to reduce aircraft pollutants, however. Jet engine efficiency has been improving at a rate of about 1% per year, and engines are expected to continue to do so into the future. Despite potential gains in aircraft efficiency, the Environmental Protection Agency predicts that aircraft emissions will double by 2030.
Source: "The Dirty Sky," "The Economist," June 10, 2006
One option to reduce aircraft pollutants that has received considerable attention by airlines is the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) as a fuel. Potential feedstocks are palm oil, jatropha and camelina. Jatropha is a plant that can be grown in various soil conditions, including many that are not suitable for traditional agriculture, although commercially attractive yields cannot be achieved on marginal land and cultivation is difficult. Camelina has similar characteristics to jatropha and is typically grown in temperate climates. Like jatropha, it is a crop that contains lipids, which can be extracted and converted to biofuels for aviation use.
Source: “World Energy Outlook 2010.” International Energy Agency
Although it will be challenging to use biofuels on a mass scale in the aviation sector owing to the amount of land that would be needed to produce the fuel, efforts to mix biofuels with traditional jet fuel are quickly increasing. Airlines are scrambling for alternative feedstock sources like Camelina that can be processed into “drop-in” compatible jet fuels, in part to protect themselves financially from the potential volatility of global oil prices. In 2008, Continental Airlines conducted a test flight of a commercial airliner with one engine running on a blend of algae-derived biofuel, and in November 2010, the Brazilian airline TAM completed the first jatropha-based biofuel flight on an Airbus A320. In addition, Air New Zealand, Japan Airlines and Continental Airlines have carried out successful test flights using a blend of jatropha and traditional jet fuel. Meanwhile, Air France-KLM was the first airline to test biofuel in a passenger aircraft. Lufthansa plans to run aircraft on a mixture of kerosene and biofuel beginning in 2012.
Source: Discovery News
Source: “Biofuel Airbus A320 completes first successful test flight.” http://www.gizmag.com/biofuel-airbus-a320/17123/“Aviation Sector Lags on Sustainability, but Biofuels Present Opportunity.” http://www.biomassintel.com/aviation-sector-lags-on-sustainability-biofuels-present-opportunity/
Source: “World Energy Outlook 2010.” International Energy Agency