Bill Gates proposes using alcohol as a form of fuel for airplanes
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Bill Gates intends to produce a new type of jet fuel that is 70% less polluting and could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
US billionaire Bill Gates will finance the construction of a plant capable of producing jet fuel in an environmentally friendly way using alcohol. The project will be carried out through Breakthrough Energy, an alternative energy company founded by the creator of Microsoft.
The investment of approximately $50 million dollars will allow the production of what they qualify as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The idea is to help materialize the energy transition by using new types of fuel that pollute the environment to a lesser extent.
It is estimated that the global aviation industry accounts for 3% of greenhouse gas emissions. In the global context, this represents an important figure since it involves millions of tons of gases that are emitted into the atmosphere.
With this new type of fuel, they ensure that emissions can be reduced by up to 70% compared to the fossil fuels that have been used up to now.
An interesting aspect is that Bill Gates' company could play a fundamental role in the adoption of the SAF since this type of fuel currently represents less than 1% of the total production of jet fuel .
It must also be taken into account that at this time there is no plant that has the capacity to produce, sell and distribute large quantities of SAF in the market. This, added to the fact that its prices are not competitive enough at the moment, have made it difficult for it to become a viable alternative for the global aeronautical industry.
However, Breakthrough Energy is confident that in the coming years all of these challenges will be overcome, thus allowing for a leap forward in green fuel. The company plans for its plant to be operational by 2023, so it would not be necessary to wait long to begin to see its impact on the market.
The company expects that once its plant is fully operational it will be able to produce some 34 million liters of the new fuel per year, which will mean a substantial increase in its availability.