At the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced the US Aviation Climate Action Plan issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which aims to achieve the US aviation industry by 2050 Net zero emissions of greenhouse gases.

The document focuses on technologies that can significantly reduce emissions from commercial aircraft fleets. Therefore, it does not focus on the use of electricity or hydrogen, which can be used in small short-haul aircraft. Although the electrification of these aircraft has a small impact on greenhouse gas emissions, the use of electrification as a means of general aviation power may bring considerable air quality benefits because many small short-haul aircraft use leaded aviation gasoline to provide power.

Analysis of carbon dioxide emissions from aviation at home and abroad in the future. BlueSky used the research and development work of the FAA Office of Environment and Energy (AEE) to analyze the contribution of aircraft technology, operational improvements and SAF's carbon dioxide emissions. Source: American Aviation Climate Action Plan

The main initiatives of the plan include:

Increase the production of sustainable aviation fuel: Sustainable fuel produced from renewable and waste materials can have the greatest impact on efforts to reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions. The United States stated that such fuels are critical to the aviation industry’s ability to achieve net-zero emissions targets, and they have the potential to reduce emissions by as much as 100% over the entire life cycle.

Develop new aircraft technology: Through the sustainable flight country partnership, NASA and the FAA are working with the industry to accelerate the development of more efficient aircraft and engine technology, with the goal of saving up to 30% compared to today’s aircraft Fuel, while also providing a lot of noise and emissions reduction benefits. New, more efficient narrow-body aircraft may enter the U.S. fleet in the 2030s, and new wide-body aircraft may enter the U.S. fleet in the 2040s.

Improve operational efficiency: Although the U.S. National Airspace System is efficient, there are opportunities to reduce fuel consumption during all stages of flight. These include improving efficiency during taxiing, take-off and landing, and optimizing flight trajectories. Studies have shown that aircraft operations also affect the climate through non-CO2 emissions, especially through contrails and cloudy clouds caused by aviation. The US government is supporting research to cost-effectively reduce the impact of certain aviation on the climate by restricting trajectory formation.

Reduce airport emissions and improve airport flexibility: The government provides incentives to reduce airport emissions through a number of programs, including the Zero Emission Vehicle Program, which provides grants to replace or convert ground vehicles to zero emission vehicles, and an energy efficiency program. Provide funding for the identification and implementation of airport energy-saving measures. The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) sponsored by the FAA helps airports identify climate risks and increase resilience.

The announcement was made after the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Challenge, a government-wide initiative that aims to catalyze the production of at least 3 billion gallons per year by 2030. Earlier this year, the FAA announced that it would provide more than $100 million in matching grants to improve aircraft efficiency, reduce noise and aircraft emissions, and develop and implement new software to reduce taxi delays.

The agency has also invested more than US$300 million to electrify airport equipment and solicit sustainable air traffic control towers. This is based on bipartisan infrastructure legislation, including investment in electric vehicles and public transportation, and will further address the carbon emissions problem of the transportation sector.

Published on November 11, 2021 in Aerospace, Biohydrocarbons, Climate Change, Emissions, Market Background | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is just a preview. Your comment has not been published yet.

The letters and numbers you entered do not match the image. please try again.

As the last step before commenting, please enter the letters and numbers you see in the picture below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View backup.

(You can use HTML tags such as <b> <i> and <ul> to set the text style.)

(Name is required. Email address will not be displayed with comments.)

Name is required to post comments

Please enter a valid email address

This blog only allows registered users to comment. To post a comment, please enable JavaScript so you can log in.