Tuesday May 29, 2007

Virgin plans to fly 747 on biofuel in 2008

peakoil.com -> business.timesonline.co.uk :

Virgin Atlantic is to announce that one of its 747 jumbo jets will be used to demonstrate that biofuels can power an aircraft. The project, which includes Boeing and General Electric, the engine-maker, hopes to have the "green" jumbo airborne in 2008. The airline and its partners are testing up to eight biofuels to determine which is most effective at altitude. Ethanol, which is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to petrol in cars, has been rejected because it does not burn well in thin-oxygen environments.

Virgin hopes that biofuel-powered aircraft could be operating commercially within five years, which could help to cut significantly the airline industry's carbon dioxide emissions. At present air travel contributes 2-3% of climate-change gases, but that level is increasing as the activity expands.

Sir Richard Branson, the chairman of Virgin Atlantic, launched an alternative fuels division last year, pledging the profits from his airline and trains for the next ten years.

See also :

1. Richard Branson offers $25 million global warming prize
2. Branson commits $3 billion to fight global warming
3. Virgin Fuel : Branson's next big bet

(2007-05-29 12:45:16 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

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