Cheap electricity from available biomass, good heat integration and long-term agreements are a necessity if you want sustainable aviation fuel produced with electricity.
These are some of the conclusions that emerge in a new report from Aalborg University (AAU), in which researchers have examined eight different scenarios for e-SAF. This is stated by the university in a press release.
- It is quite clear that with clever heat integration, cheap electricity and available biomass, green fuel can be made more competitive in terms of price, but there are factors such as contract lengths, distribution costs and certification processes that also need to be changed if we really want to fly greener, says Iva Ridjan Skov, associate professor in energy planning and future energy systems at Aalborg University.
Oil still clearly the cheapest fuel
The researchers have investigated scenarios where the fuel is extracted through two different synthesis processes (Fischer-Tropsch or Methanol-to-jet) using electrolysis and the CO2 source, which can come from several sources; wet biomass (animal manure), dry biomass (such as wood and straw) or directly through CO2 from point sources or from the air.
But no matter which scenario you look at, it requires cheap electricity. The analysis indicates that it is possible for the green jet fuel produced via electricity from dedicated offshore wind farms to become price-competitive with their fossil counterparts if the total lifetime cost per MWh is 30 euros, but we are not there yet.
- As it stands now, it is clearly cheapest to continue to pull oil out of the ground and make fuel from it. But that does not harmonize very well with the fact that we want a greener future. Therefore, we need to stop treating e-SAF as a luxury item – because it is not a luxury we can afford to forgo, says Iva Ridjan Skov.
Denmark's need for green aviation fuel can be met
Even though the price is currently high, the future of green aviation fuel does not look as bleak as one might think. Iva Ridjan Skov points out, among other things, that Arcadia eFuels has announced the production of 66,000 MT e-jet in Vordingborg in 2026, which is more than what is needed to cover the Danish domestic green aviation mandate in 2030.
However, there are challenges in the form of a lack of approvals and an inappropriate tradition of short contracts for producers of the sustainable fuel. This needs to be addressed if you want to have even greater potential.
- We can see that the technology is there, but at present there is too long a wait for certifications and approvals, just as the agreement periods with the airlines are generally too short. This requires that you have long-term agreements to produce and deliver e-SAF, because it is simply too costly to get started, says Iva Ridjan Skov.
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