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The global aviation industry is rapidly accelerating its testing program for alternative fuels, with experts predicting new aviation fuel blends containing biofuels could be sanctioned as safe for commercial use travel within the next 12 months.
Under existing plans biofuels are expected to be certified as safe in 2013, however the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the industry is now actively pushing for some biofuels to gain certification in early 2011.
IATA spokesman Steven Lott said that successful testing of alternative fuels has moved far faster than many experts predicted.
“There is a lot of momentum thanks to the industry’s united environment strategy and goals,” he explained, adding that a further three commercial airlines are planning to trial biofuels this year building on the growing list of test flights undertaken since 2008.
US airline Jetblue is expected to fly an Airbus A320 biofuel within the next few weeks, followed by Brazilian airline Tam, which plans to test a Jatropha-based biofuel in the second half of the year. Mexican airline Interjet is also planning to test a biofuel developed from Salicornia, a type of halophyte that grows in saltmarshes mangrove swamps. Halophyte-based biofuels are widely regarded as a potentially exciting development, as they can be produced without eating into agricultural land.
Lott said a major driver in the speedy deployment of new technology is the industry’s four pillar strategy, signed in 2008, which calls for investment in new technology, improved flight operations and efficient infrastructure, and the development of new economic instruments in order to help cut carbon emissions from the sector.
However, the imminent inclusion of airlines in the EU emissions trading scheme from 2012 and the on-going volatility of fuel prices, which saw oil prices spike to almost $150 per barrel in the summer of 2008, has also increased pressure on operators to identify alternative fuel sources.
“There is a lot of interest from across the industry, airlines, manufacturers, suppliers, to see certification within the next 12 months,” said Lott. “We will be eagerly watching the additional tests and certification process.”
A Canadian group called Greenscroll hopes to get website owners to support renewable energy with their wallets. Are you convinced?
I’ve written a lot before about the environmental costs of using the web, and it’s a subject that is only going to get more important as our lives tend towards the digital. So I was interested to get wind of a Canadian organisation that wants people to help people mitigate the affects of their online activities.
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China has been told that it can act as a role model for developing countries across the world by investing in environmentally-friendly growth.
According to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, the east Asian superpower must prioritise the generation of clean and renewable energy over polluting fossil fuels.
Speaking at the Beijing launch of an energy-saving initiative called the Green Lights Project (GLP), Mr Ban urged Chinese leaders to “serve as the vanguard of tomorrow’s economy”.
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Power company EDF Energy has been hit with a £2m fine for not connecting people to its network quickly enough.
The action, by industry regulator Ofgem, was because the French-owned firm failed to meet a three month connection deadline in more than 100 cases since 2006.
Ofgem’s managing director for corporate affairs, Sarah Harrison, said: “All energy companies should be in no doubt that if they are failing to offer good customer service Ofgem will take tough regulatory action.
“We recognise that EDF Energy has now taken steps to improve its connections service, but they should have taken this action some time ago.”
She added that the fine could have been bigger but it took into account that EDF had already paid about £450,000 in compensation to affected customers.
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Source: Edie.net
