be sustainable Can flying Professor Stephen Dooley , Associate Professor of Energy Science and head of the Trinity College Dublin SAF Research Facility at SMBC Aviation Capital, looks at what’s involved in making aviation sustainable and why Trinity is a leader in the field T he acronym for sustainable aviation fuel is SAF. If this isn’t yet a household acronym, it is only a question of time: as of next year, the EU has mandated that fuel uplift for all flights originating at EU airports must contain at least 2% SAF, and will increase year by year, with mandates of 6% by 2030, 20% by 2035, and 70% by 2050. Japan recently announced similar mandates, as has the UK. The US has incentives, rather than mandates, and is the global leader in SAF research. Currently, just 0.05% of the almost 100 billion gallons of fuel used annually by the global aviation industry is SAF, so the mandated increases will necessitate a quantum leap in the testing, proving and scaling up SAFs. Trinity is set to play a leading role. Building on the success of the Ryanair Sustainable Aviation Research Centre, established in Trinity in 2021, the university’s research in sustainable aviation received significant investment this year: Ryanair has donated a further €2.4 million to the Centre, on top of its foundational gift of €1.5 million. Aircraft Leasing Ireland (ALI), the Ibec group representing the industry, is funding a four-year study [€560,000], led by Trinity and the University of Limerick, to identify ways for Ireland to establish a viable supply chain for SAF raw materials and to scale up SAF production. Aircraft leaser, SMBC Aviation Capital, has announced the Trinity College Dublin SAF Research Facility at SMBC Aviation Capital, located at SMBC’s new landmark offices in Dublin city centre [€1.5 million].
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