How the promising “wave” of Green Hydrogen also benefits clean aviation
Published on April 30, 2021
Worldwide, Sustainable Aviation Fuels gain more and more visibility. In 2016, the world’s governments adopted the UN treaty CORSIA (The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) which provides targets for the decarbonisation of aviation and directs countries to seek a total reduction of emissions in the sector by 2050. Brazil is preparing itself to contribute as of 2027, when CORSIA becomes mandatory. To reach this goal, green hydrogen and derived fuels have great potential to contribute.
In the transport sector, the Brazilian interest in decarbonisation gains momentum with the recent launch of the Fuel of the Future Programme on April 20th. Instituted by the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE), the programme postulates the use of alternative sources of energy and the strengthening of national technological development to make the transport matrix cleaner and more sustainable. In this sense, the programme represents one more step in Brazil’s leadership towards the world energy transition.
The main goal of the initiative is to propose measures that increase the use of sustainable and low carbon intensity fuels. As a first step, the Technical Committee of the Fuel of the Future (CT-CF) will be created to boost research and financing projects on new technologies. Based on the country’s vast experience in biofuels, 15 bodies of the programme focus on different areas.
Among them there is the specific topic of Sustainable Aviation Fuels. For the ProQR Project – Climate-neutral Alternative Fuels – this focus assists and raises the project´s goals to a new level. From the project’s perspective, the new dynamic will help finding funding partners and for the construction of the decentralised pilot production plant. Also, regulatory advances that are necessary for the new technologies in play, become achievable.
The development of the programme follows the creation of the Green Hydrogen Hub in Ceará. Launched in February 2021, the Hub aims to promote and stimulate the formation of the productive value chain of Green Hydrogen in the State of Ceará, more specifically in the Port of Pecém Complex.
Since February 2020, the ProQR Project has been in dialogue with private institutions, representatives of the Federal and State Governments in the State of Ceará. Partially, the idea of the Ceará Hub originated from these dialogues. Linked to this initiative, ProQR currently supports negotiations for the construction of a pilot plant at Fortaleza Airport.
It is perceivable that a promising wave for renewable fuels in Brazil is building up. Today we also observe an agile initiative for the creation of a National Hydrogen Programme at the federal level. ProQR is contributing and – who knows – surfing on this wave, towards decarbonisation of the aviation sector.
Contributor to this article is Bárbara Correa.
