Page 8 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2022 Online Magazine

“There are multiple ways to a future where “We’re working right now to refine the first airplane concepts, the
aviation has zero climate impact. We created ones that can start reducing emissions sooner rather than later.
Cascade on a foundation of credible data and Small aircraft are ideal on which to test and prove new propulsion
analytical models to allow users to explore technologies so that they can be scaled up to larger aircraft.
various pathways to net-zero. We think this That’s why our Energia family is such an important platform,”
model will help our industry visualize, for the Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer’s Sr. VP of Engineering, Technology
first time, the real climate impact of each solu- and Corporate Strategy said.
tion, from beginning to end, and to inform
the most probable and effective strategies,” “We see our role as a developer of novel technologies to help the
Raymond said. industry achieve its sustainability targets. SAF is going to be key
to the delivery of the lower-carbon aviation industry – but there
Cascade appraises Boeing’s major paths are going to have to be some serious discussions about how this
to decarbonize aviation and their potential is scaled up. There’s no easy or single solution in getting to net
power to reduce emissions through airplane zero,” Affonso stated.
fleet renewal, renewable energy sources such
as sustainable fuel, hydrogen, electric propul- Disappointing Aspect
sion, operational efficiency improvements and
advanced technologies. All that said, despite the advantages, use of SAF remains low – the

The Cascade model assesses the full lifecycle primary limiting factors being a lack of availability and high costs.
impacts of renewable energy by accounting To date the SAF uptake has been deeply disappointing. Due to
for the emissions required to produce, distrib- limited supply, there is also a general lack of demand for SAF.
ute and use alternative energy carriers such
as hydrogen, electricity, and SAF. Airlines used just 100 million litres of alternative jet fuel in 2021
– less than one percent of IATA’s 2020 goal.
Boeing plans to utilize the Cascade tool with
airline operators, industry partners, and pol- This sluggish progress is the result of high costs (2 to 5 times the
icymakers to inform when, where, and how 2019 price of conventional jet fuel), feedstock constraints, and
different fuel sources intersect with new air- sustainability concerns about first-generation biofuels.
plane designs.
Also, because demand and supply remain unbalanced, the cost
“We have to take a holistic view toward decar- of SAF is more than double the cost of conventional jet fuel –
bonization,” said Raymond. “And when we do putting SAF far out of reach for many operators.
that, it is clear that sustainable aviation fuel is
a necessary lever. We know it will take a ‘SAF “The core problem is that airlines won’t voluntarily pay more
and’ approach and not a ‘SAF or’ approach for fuel, and everyone knows it. And Econ 101 argues that
to achieving net-zero by 2050.” capital won’t flow to investments that are unlikely to gener-
ate revenue. It’s a basic chicken and egg dilemma,” noted Dan
Embraer And Energia Rutherford, Programme Director at International Council on
Clean Transportation (ICCT).
As part of Embraer’s attempt to drive the Nevertheless, the airline industry remains bullish on SAFs, despite
development of SAF, the company signed a being famously fuel-price sensitive.
Letter of Intent with Raízen, a global leader in
bioenergy and one of the largest sugarcane The industry may be making progress in familiarizing operators
ethanol producers in the world, to help stimu- and driving demand for SAF, but the goal might be beyond the
late the growth and sustainability of the value reach.
chain as a whole.

The expectation is that Raízen will help © Embraer
Embraer reach the goal of having SAF blends
representing 100 per cent of its fuel consump-
tion in Brazil by 2030.

Embraer has plans to unveil a new fleet of
Energia aircraft powered by hybrid, full elec-
tric and later hydrogen.

The company last year launched its new
Energia family of four aircraft concepts in
various configurations that will use electric
and hydrogen-powered propulsion systems.

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