Objectives
 

The objective of SWAFEA is to provide an overview on promising options of alternative fuels, including biofuels, for aviation by considering their impacts on environment, society and business case. This will constitute inputs to policy decisions at European and global perspectives.

  

A comprehensive answer to the issues raised by the introduction of alternative fuels in aviation requires handling a number of various and interdependent multidisciplinary topics, not only technical but also environmental and economic.
 
In a first step, SWAFEA is building a synthesis of the present knowledge, embracing the results of the various ongoing projects and industrial initiatives. Promising options will then be analysed in depth from the point of view of their use in aviation, and, when needed, technical studies and tests will be performed to complement existing data regarding specific requirements for aviation.
 
The environmental impact of these fuels, considering their entire life cycle, and also the ecological and societal impact of their use will be assessed in parallel. The contribution to green house gas effects will be a major concern, with a requirement for the new options to have a better carbon foot print than present fuels. The sustainability of the production is a second critical aspect which requires, in particular for biofuels, taking into account questions such as land use, potential competition with food chain or induced pollution. Also local air quality aspects need to be considered.
 
Economical aspects will also be studied with a view to the business case of new solutions and the time horizon for their possible implementation. These various elements will contribute to the definition of a deployment roadmap, addressing also political measures and research and development needs. Within the study, the input from industry will be assessed, validated and put into a coherent reporting framework by a team of researchers.
 
The ultimate goal is to assemble all these information in a possible roadmap for alternative fuels deployment in aviation, addressing research and development needs along with proposals of policy measures to support this deployment.
 
There is in addition a strong will to establish a stakeholder forum with all European relevant stakeholders to allow exchange of information and best practices, along with communication and validation of the results.
 
 
Structures
 
The various objectives of the study are addressed in a set of dedicated work packages associating relevant players and experts involved in the SWAFEA team.
 

WP1000 is aiming at establishing a forum between all European relevant stakeholders that will allow exchange of information and best practices,
along with communication and validation of the results. The goal is further to develop relations and cooperation with other initiatives at international level, having in mind the development of common specifications and standards for the possible deployment of new fuels. The establishment of a website is an important element for the stakeholders forum as well as a dialogue with a wider public.
WP2000 fulfils the first goal of the project which is to build a state of the art of the present knowledge, embracing the results of the various
ongoing European projects and industrial initiatives. This synthesis also includes a review of aviation markets needs and trends, and encompasses production and environmental aspects. It will make a preliminary selection of candidate fuels against a range of acceptability criteria for the following choice of the fuels that will be studied in more detail in WP3000 and WP4000.
WP3000 and WP4000 form the technical core of the project. They analyze, in parallel for biofuels and other alternative fuels, how they can be
used for aviation, either alone or blended. Further, after including inputs related to environmental impact and business case, they will sketch out a roadmap for their introduction in aviation. Part of this is also to develop specifications for a generic approval process. Not only engine or aircrafts requirements are considered here, but also operation, safety, impact on infrastructure, i.e. all components of importance in aviation transportation.
WP5000 The analysis will not only cover technical aspects of the use of alternative fuels in aircraft engines but it is also dedicated to the assessment of the potential of alternative sources of energy (fuel cells, solar cells, etc.) for onboard energy
production, in order to reduce the power extracted from aircraft main engines. This will be done through the creation of metrics to allow the comparison and through a review of possible applications including their fitting with current aircraft energy systems. Further the R&D needs will be identified for introduction of these technologies.
WP6000 addresses the environmental impact of these alternative fuels, considering their entire production and life cycle, and the ecological and societal
impact of their use. The contribution to green house gas effect is the first concern, with a requirement for the new options to have a better carbon foot print than present fuels. Sustainability of their production is a further requirement.
WP7000 addresses the economical feasibility and practical issues of introduction of alternative fuels for aviation as well as the deployment strategies on the basis of a chosen target scenario for alternative fuels.
WP8000 is dedicated to the organization of an international conference on the alternative fuels opportunities for aviation. This conference will
take place at the end of the program and will have several goals: presentation of the findings and conclusions of all the different WP of the present program, but also discussion of these conclusions with the ones of other initiatives all over the world on close subjects.
WP9000 finally aims at building a consolidated synthesis of the project outcomes and at paving the way for following actions towards
implementation of alternative energy for aviation. It will produce a roadmap for introduction of new solutions in aviation, including, policy measures, needs and priorities for research and development, and the description of a possible demonstration initiative to prepare the deployment of identified future alternatives.