Etihad leads biofuel race
January 31, 2012, 08:58 am
In response to the European Union pushing for lower carbon emissions, and a global mission to reduce energy consumption from the aviation industry, many airline carriers all over the world are developing more efficient aircrafts and testing biofuels for alternative energy sources.
Etihad Airways recently became the first airline to fly on biofuel directly from the factory and the first biofuel-flying Gulf carrier. The Etihad Boeing 777-300ER recently traveled from Seattle to its home base in Abu Dhabi International Airport, using a combination of traditional fuel and plant-based biofuel. The biofuel developers used recycled vegetable cooking oil to make the efficient energy source, allowing carriers to decrease their carbon footprint with each flight.
"Use of presently available biofuel is just part of a comprehensive strategy to ensure that we are able to use biofuel to decarbonize an entire industry sector in the long term,” said Etihad Airways’ President and CEO James Hogan in a public statement.
Etihad is allocating $2 million to its research and development laboratory that is experimenting with salt water-tolerant plants to produce the alternative aviation fuel. The airline is a member of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, and said the biofuel is part of its mission to protect drinking water supplies while developing effective alternative energy sources, the source reported.
But biofuel production is far from limited to the United Arab Emirates. In fact, Costa Rica is leading the world in biofuel production, spurred by increased awareness of climate change and infrastructural development. Throughout Costa Rica renewable energy farms are being launched to leverage the abundance of natural resources in the region to develop more eco-friendly fuel sources. Companies searching for the next biofuel are coming to Costa Rica, developing the renewable farms, and allowing local farmers to work on the projects while supporting their families, the Costa Rica News reported.
International companies are purchasing land in the country, taking advantage of the low cost of local labor and growing high yielding biofuel crops for future development. The land used for farming, known as multi-purpose real estate, is being transformed into bio-oil fields that make money while the land appreciates value, thus boosting the Costa Rican economy and income of investors, the source reported.
While new advancements in biofuel technology will lower carbon emissions, it is still important for pilots to focus on the fundamentals of safety and efficiency with an investment in pilot insurance.
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