DOT proposes contest to 'green' jet fuel industry
In the race to curb global warming, the aviation industry lags behind as one of the largest polluters. But the U.S. government wants to help rectify that problem by calling on technology experts for green-air solutions.
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation said that it will finance a new competition designed to spur innovation in renewable fuels and technologies for the aviation industry. To this end, the DOT, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, has granted $500,000 to the nonprofit X Prize Foundation to form a contest that will call on private industry to develop alternative jet fuels or technologies. The coming aviation X Prize could carry a prize purse of $10 million or more for the winner--contest money to be provided by a yet-to-be-determined private sponsor.
"It will be a competition that everyone wins, because a breakthrough in alternative jet fuels is a potential game-changer that could bring lower airline fuel costs, greater U.S. energy independence, and cleaner air," U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said in a statement. Peters announced the grant Thursday at the American Association of Airport Executives summit in Washington D.C.
The creation of an aviation prize is part of the FAA's so-called Next Generation air traffic modernization program, or "NextGen." The goal of the FAA's program is to double the capacity of the U.S. aviation traffic system by 2025, but by maintaining the growth in a carbon-neutral fashion. The FAA believes that alternative aviation fuels or so-called coupling technologies--those that might mitigate air pollutants, for example--may be able to offset the greenhouse gas emissions expected from increased air traffic.
The grant is also among the first given from the government to the X Prize Foundation to form an industry X Prize. The Foundation has been in talks with the DOT and FAA about a potential aviation contest for alternative fuels since the mid-90s, when the nonprofit first announced its Ansari X Prize, a competition to foster private suborbital space flight which was won in 2004. In recent months, the DOT issued a request for proposal to the industry to run a similar aviation contest for alternative fuels, and it ultimately chose the X Prize Foundation.
The nonprofit plans to consult with industry experts over the next 14 months to develop its aviation prize, including setting rules that will govern the competition. After that time, it expects to launch the competition by 2011, with the goal for it to be completed by 2016. Once announced, it would be the X Prize Foundation's fifth official X Prize competition, including the current $10 million Archon X Prize for Genomics, the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize, and the $10 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize for energy-efficient vehicles.
For that prize, the Department of Energy has granted $3.5 million to the X Prize Foundation to educate young people about energy-efficient autos.
"With all the discussion about global warming, the increasing cost of oil, and the increasing congestion everyone's feeling at the airport, we need to do something dramatic about it and we think it's the contest model," said Jason Morgan, senior director of prize development at the X Prize Foundation.
I wonder if you could help me determine the real truth about ethanol; manufactured from corn. Some say that it is not the kernels of corn that are used as feedstock for the manufacturing of ethanol, rather the husk. And if what I have stated is true, how has this changed the price of food that uses corn kernels?
The government plan is extremely risky, and the government will not admit the future probably will have less air transportation (and less oil), not more. It is time to stop subsidizing the airports and interstate highway system. The airports will be for international flights only. The real issue is the price of oil, not global warming.
It is unlikely that any substitute will be as cheap as the oil we are used to. Instead they should do like France and build more electric power plants and high speed rail within the USA (thing TGV). They should electrify all the railroads, and build shuttles like the Chunnel train to move cars and trucks from city to city. Electric cars could be recharged while being transported. Rebuild the interurban railroads for freight and passengers. Build the Bering straight train to Russia.
In 1925 the state of Indiana was criss crossed by electric interurban railroads, and my grandmother road them. Recently an electric train that delivered freight under the city of Chicago was discovered from about the same time period. The new Deal, the automobile and the truck ended it. We need to go back and change history.
- by CleanBurning July 16, 2008 11:56 AM PDT
- Glad to hear that the American air travel industry is getting on board with alternative fuels. Earlier this year, it was announced that Qatar Airways plans to become the first airline in the world to fuel its aircraft with Natural Gas.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(9 Comments)Qatar seeks to capitalize on the fact that they have the world?s third-largest gas reserves. According to the Natural Gas Supply Association, U.S. reserves point to at least a 60-year supply, with 84% of the natural gas consumed in the US, being produced in the US.
The operational cost of vehicles running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG,) as compared to those running on other fuels is significantly low. Does anyone know of any domestic airlines that plan to fuel up with Natural Gas? Since we have so much of it, seems to make sense.
CNG is an environmentally clean alternative fuel and can be used in both petrol and diesel engines.