NREL: Regional analysis can help accelerate deployment of SAF

The aviation industry currently produces 3 percent of total GHG emissions in the United States—equaling about 252 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO ) each year. With the global consumption of fossil-derived jet fuels expected to more than double by 2050, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is committed to accelerating the decarbonization of this industry. The study appears in the paper “Evaluation of Performance Variables to Accelerate the Deployment of Sustainable Aviation Fuels at a Regional Scale,” published in the journal Energy Conversion and Management. The researchers chose ORD for the focus of this case study due to its high passenger count, jet fuel consumption, and nearby feedstock availability. Doing so could be an environmentally friendly choice for the global transportation hub—producing SAF can result in up to an 86 percent reduction in life cycle GHG emissions compared to conventional jet fuel production.