Biofuels: The Future of Aviation?
The test pilot takes questions after landing the partially biofuel-powered Virgin Atlantic 747 seen behind him.
Photo: Virgin Atlantic
Last Sunday, Virgin Atlantic became the world's first airline to fly using biofuel. Sir Richard Branson would like you to think that this is a great leap toward sustainable air travel. However, it's just not that simple.
I applaud Branson's recent commitment to spend $3 billion on environmentally friendly technologies, but Sunday's test flight from London to Amsterdam didn't prove much. Two studies published just a few weeks ago in the journal Science found that most biofuels actually cause MORE greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. Interested? Read on.
The studies in Science took into consideration the land that is cleared to grow the ingredients for plant-based biofuels, in many cases deforesting the Amazon basin or the jungles of Indonesia. Virgin Atlantic was careful to point out that the babassu and coconut oils in its biofuel came from mature plantations -- but if this fuel were to become widely used, more plantations would undoubtedly have to appear in order to meet demand. Virgin says that they in fact hope to develop an airline biofuel made from algae, so why do this proof-of-concept with a different fuel?
Furthermore, according to Chuck Squatriglia, a blogger over at Conde Nast Traveler's sister publication Wired, the 747 wasn't powered on coconuts alone -- a mere 20 percent of the fuel mix for just one of the plane's four engines was plant-based. Greenpeace U.K. thinks the test flight was a plot to spin positive publicity for that country's airline industry just when environmental activists are protesting the possible construction of a third runway at Heathrow.
Richard Branson, environmental savior or spinmeister? You be the judge.
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"Virgin says that they in fact hope to develop an airline biofuel made from algae, so why do this proof-of-concept with a different fuel?"
Because Branson wanted the publicity of being first. Air NZ is looking at a biofuel test flight later in the year (and yes only one engine at this stage - they want to be sure there are no accidents!). Air NZ has also been checking out algae. For commercial reasons they have not yet announced the exact nature of the biofuel used in the tests.
Posted by: TheGlobalTraveller | February 26, 2008 at 02:09 PM
I forgot to mention that I think Greenpeace is barking up the wrong tree with the distracting attention comment.
Airlines are looking into biofuels for 2 main reasons. (1) PR for trying to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and (2) if it works they can save a lot of money.
Posted by: TheGlobalTraveller | February 26, 2008 at 02:11 PM