Nordic Energy Research has worked on sustainable aviation since 2016, when we commissioned a study on sustainable jet fuels for aviation. This report resulted in a series of workshops and conferences co-organized by Nordic Energy Research and the Nordic Initiative for Sustainable Aviation. We have experienced an increasing sense of urgency within the aviation industry to find low- to no-carbon solutions. Customers, and especially youth, are increasingly opting out of flying. In Sweden, a new phrase – Flygskam – has made its way into English dictionaries.
This updated report provides an overview of new developments in terms of producing synthetic aviation fuels as well as the recent developments on airplanes powered by either electricity or hydrogen. The report demonstrates that there are a number of sustainable aviation fuel producers planning to start up small-scale production.