Comments on: DOT proposes contest to 'green' jet fuel industry

The U.S. Department of Transportation says it will finance the development of a new X Prize competition to develop renewable fuels and technologies for the aviation industry.

[bowlie1]

Excuse me? "...the aviation industry lags behind as one of the largest polluters". According to the UN it's about 2% of all man-made CO2. The challenge the industry faces is that it is (or was) growing about 5% a year, while improving it's carbon footprint by ONLY 3%. Still growth is growth.

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "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". The question is: How "economically" will the "alternative jet fuels or technologies" to be developed be over and above those that are currently in use. Have we figured out yet whether it was the move to produce "ethanol from corn" et cetera et cetera that has give rise to the food shortages in some parts of the world..... Then again, we are not quite sure how long (how many more years) the "oil" under the surface of the earth will last!

[Phoenix58]

Commander Spock,

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?

[Commander_Spock]

As the song goes - "There is a place for us....." Re: "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...." ( Around the World with OS/2 - 1 of 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlc9EpJB4ag ); and, ( Around the World with OS/2 - 2 of 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYKK3NpnuF4 ) So, somewhere in its childhood... OS/2 "must have done something good" for the SwissAir. ;-)

[Commander_Spock]

And, if all the airline companies around the world were one "Swiss Air" company - what a great, great company that relied on OS/2 that would would be. And, if all the DsOT around the world were one DOT that modeled its "Next Generation ("NextGen.") air traffic modernization program" off the great "Swiss Air" company - what a great, great DOT that would be. ;-) The next frontier - Software For "Economic" Evaluation. Live Long And Prosper!

[Holly Klug]

I have an answer for Ms. Peters: France's TGV

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.

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "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...." And, the gut feeling is that them BOEING 747's (with one or two of its "four" engines to do the "tests") might just be the planes to watch (the planes to beat)! ;-)

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "The new Deal, the automobile and the truck ended it. We need to go back (How quickly?) and change history". Its called the "mis-education" of the Americas (Brazil with its "E85" program included)!

[CleanBurning]

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.

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.