The idea is that you take renewable electricity and use it to split apart water, and then combine that hydrogen, like scott saad, with a c o two that could be directly captured from the air. The issues really are in the near term cost. Right now this is probably an even more expensive fuel than turning a trash or corn stover into bio fuel. And we don't expect to see the cost come down to match that of petroleum until somewhere, i around the 20 50 time frame.
For those of us who love to travel, climate guilt weighs heavily. Civil aviation accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that number is going up. But while electrifying cars and trucks is already well underway, flying planes on anything other than liquid fuels remains devilishly difficult. Despite that difficulty, there are options. Sustainable aviation fuels, or SAFs, hold the most promise, as they can theoretically drop right into existing engines and infrastructure. Beyond that, a number of startups are tinkering with electric battery-powered aircraft, as well as hydrogen-powered electric planes. But how sustainable are these options, and are they really ready for prime time?
Guests:
Fred Ghatala, Director of Carbon & Sustainability, Advanced Biofuels Canada
Stephanie Searle, Fuels Program Director, ICCT
Scott Cary, Project Manager, NREL
Christina Beckman, Co-creator, Tomorrow’s Air; Vice President, Adventure Travel Trade Association
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