Flying greener: reducing aviation carbon emissions is a viable option

When it comes to reducing transportation carbon footprint, flying greener is happening: starting this month, Alaska Airlines will offer select commercial domestic flights powered by biofuel. The seventy five passenger flights will be operated in the US by Alaska Airlines and its sister carrier, Horizon Air, using a 20 percent blend of sustainable biofuel made from used cooking oil. Using fuel efficient airplanes like the Boeing 737 and Bombardier Q400, there are other environmentally responsible projects Alaska Airlines has been implementing, for example, utilizing satellite-based navigation. Two biofuel-powered flights from Seattle to Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon traveled in early November.

Incorporating biofuels blend into aviation has a significant impact on reducing the industry's carbon emissions. Alaska Airlines estimates that, in this initial implementation phase, they will reduce CO2 by 10 percent, which is quantified as 134 metric tons of carbon, the equivalent of taking 26 cars off the road for one year. Furthermore, if an airline the size of Alaska Air Group has fueled all of its flights with a 20 percent biofuel blend for one year, the annual emissions reduction would represent the equivalent of removing about 64,000 cars off the road.

The fuel blend is made from used cooking oil and meets aviation and military safety, as well as sustainability and performance standards.

What else is new in green transportation?

Meet Sylvatex biofuels, a Silicon Valley, California company that has won numerous awards and "Most likely to succeed" label at industry conferences and venture funding competitions, including Silicon Valley LAUNCH and PortTechLA, as well as funding and support through the San Francisco’s Greenstart accelerator program.

Sylvatex is in the process of commercializing a proprietary renewable 'smart' fuel for the US diesel and bio-diesel markets. Sylvatex makes a fuel additive that is blended into ordinary diesel and bio-diesel fuel supplies. Sylvatex technology optimizes diesel fuel and the innovation reduces engine emissions and transportation carbon footprint , qualifying for several government fuel mandates.

Their additive requires no modifications of existing engines and it also works within the existing fuel distribution infrastructure. This solution is immediate, scalable and can be implemented globally. Using biomass products locally, i.e. renewable and bio raw materials, the technology is cost effective, available, and sustainable. The company's business model supports partnerships with fuel distributors.

By blending forty percent of diesel, Sylvatex technology conserves depleted fuel sources and contributes to cleaner fuel.

Sylvatex exhibited their solution at the 2011 Cleantech Open Global Forum in San Jose, California on November 15 and 16. The annual event, also known as the Academy Awards of clean-tech initiatives, is the largest world clean-tech incubator. Founded six years ago in Silicon Valley, the organization has grown tremendously, with 593 alumni startup companies, raising over 500 million dollars in venture funding, 800 hundred mentors, and the Global Idea Competition in 23 countries. Bringing together entrepreneurs, business, investors, national labs, and academia, the 2011 forum presented keynote speakers, competition and judging sessions in seven categories, and an expo with over 100 clean-tech, initiatives.

The Cleantech Open organization is a catalyst in the space and essentially is a mentor program for innovators. Entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders convened to select and award the most innovative clean-tech startups in the US and globally, with winners from 20 countries. For the 2011 award list see below.

US Regional finalists compete for the $250,000 National Grand Prize in seven categories: renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building, air water and waste, transportation, smart power, and sustainability. The Cleantech Open Global has helped launch 473 companies in the past 6 years.

Yesterday, at Cleantech Open awards gala the Transportation category winner was Gridtest Systems from Los Angeles, CA. Gridtest Systems provides portable test and measurement tools for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging. With their advanced Electric Vehicle Emulator (EVE), the device ensures Electric Vehicle charging stations are properly installed and are safe to use by running more than 50 comprehensive tests.

Currently, there aren't any global standards for charging equipment. It has been challenging for electric vehicle manufacturers to predict all of the potential technical issues that could arise during battery charging.

The EV Emulator provides the charging station installer a simple way to test safety and proper installation, and also displays a detailed explanation of any failure mode through its touch-screen interface. Furthermore, the EV Emulator’s test report gives accurate information to the station owners and can also be geo-tagged with the location for tracking and verification purposes. The emulator presents a new solution to electrical contractors that install charging stations, where a comprehensive and easy to use test tool didn’t exist before for these specific vehicle battery chargers. Gridtest Systems EV Emulator is an independent detecting tool for electrical contractors, provides tracking information, and enables a much faster, more cost-effective schedule of verifiable maintenance.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. Sylvatex website: www.sylvatex.com/

2. Gridtest website: www.gridtest.com

3. Cleantech Open website: www.cleantechopen.org

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Cleantech Open 2011 Winners

Regional winners: