Alternative Fuel Projects Face Commercial Challenges Head-On

摘要

How do you traverse the so-called Valley of Death, where startup firms perish for lack of funding? The alternative jet fuel industry finds itself at that critical juncture. Five pathways to produce supplies have been approved for aviation use and there are many more in the pipeline, but producers with novel technologies are having trouble procuring the funds to build commercial-scale plants. That was the prevalent theme at last month’s Alternative Fuel Symposium in Vancouver, Canada, sponsored in part by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) (JFI Nov.20’17). Over 90,000 flights each day are powered by petroleum-based jet fuel. To decarbonize air transport, the challenge is to commercialize alternative jet fuel at affordable prices, said Doug Lavin, IATA’s North American vice president for external relations. A resolution that emerged from IATA’s Annual General Meeting in June reaffirmed the industry’s commitment to reduce its emissions and called for loan guarantees as a means to de-risk investments in the sector.