At the second “Green Air Show” at an airfield just north of France, there was both hope and skepticism over potential “green” improvements in aviation, an industry renowned for pollution. Major developments in reducing noise pollution were introduced, particularly for helicopters. More interesting were previews of energy-efficient technology.  The Solar Impulse, a solar-powered airplane, completed its first overnight flight this month, and special “airships” have been created for low-energy trans-ocean transport. However, both these options have their hang-ups; the Solar Impulse has a 200-foot wingspan and can carry only one person, while airships could take days to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  Biofuels have been hailed as the new solution to greening airplanes, but there is skepticism towards the safety of using solely biofuels for every engine of an aircraft.
The answer must be in the middle ground, at least for now.  Perhaps the future holds the key to flights that run on zero-carbon energy sources like the sun, but there are compromises available now for the most energy-intensive mode of transportation.  Also, biofuel mixes can be used in part in larger aircrafts, and large-scale recycling programs have been introduced to most airlines.  About $100,000 per gate could be saved by airlines by installing solar panels to power electrical operations when an airplane is grounded, and that adds up to a reduction of thousands of metric tons of CO2e. As we blogged in May, airlines and airports are both doing their part to reduce their impact on the environment, and hopefully these efforts continue to grow with available technology.