Matt Doll, Minnesota Environmental Partnership
Nearly one year ago, a coalition of major businesses in the finance, energy, and aviation sectors announced the creation of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) “hub” in Minnesota. This first-of-its-kind hub is essentially a partnership between business, government, research, and other players. It’s meant to ramp up development of low-carbon aircraft fuel, primarily made from crops or hydrogen to supply the MSP airport.
From a business standpoint, it’s not surprising that Minnesota was picked as the location for the SAF hub. We’re in the top ten states for cropland area in the country, our main airport at MSP is in the top twenty busiest hubs nationwide, and our agricultural research sector – driven by the University of Minnesota – is a worldwide leader. The state has also created tax incentives for SAF development last year.
Airplanes are a big problem for climate and environment. The petroleum-powered aviation sector generates about 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding Brazil, a country of 200 million people. It may not be as large of a problem as personal vehicles, but it’s thornier to solve.
As with personal vehicles, the best way to cut emissions is to reduce the number of trips they take by offering clean alternatives, such as high-speed rail. But what to do with the trips that remain between countries or across oceans? Planes are hard to electrify, due to battery weight and capacity. Until alternative technologies emerge, planes are expected to continue running on liquid fuel.
The goal of the SAF efforts is to replace petroleum with alternative non-fossil fuels that have as low a climate impact as possible. The challenge will be to continue to drive these climate impacts ever lower while not getting stuck with halfway measures.
MEP member organizations Fresh Energy, Friends of the Mississippi River, and the Nature Conservancy recently released a set of guiding principles they are recommending to ensure that SAF efforts are actually sustainable for our climate, land, water, and people.
A key challenge for the SAF hub will be to not drive an expansion of corn ethanol or soy oil as fuel. Conventional production of these crops for fuel across Minnesota and the Midwest has created a big problem for our climate and a disaster for water quality and the health of native species.
Another prospective option for aviation hydrogen, is a dubious one. Most hydrogen today is produced from methane and has a heavy climate impact. Even producing it more cleanly using electrolysis has its problems: hydrogen itself is a greenhouse gas, and while water is the primary product of its combustion, it also generates nitrogen oxide, a pollutant that can cause health problems for nearby communities.
Fortunately, we don’t need to confine ourselves to choosing between growing more corn and soybeans, going all in on hydrogen, or sticking with petroleum. The University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative is making major strides on new oilseed crops – namely winter camelina and pennycress – that have a positive environmental impact.
These continuous living cover crops help to build healthy soil and prevent nutrient pollution of water by growing during the months when most Midwestern corn and soybean fields lie fallow, and don’t drive an increase in cropland acreage. They are extremely oil-dense and are already strong candidates for use in jet fuel.
Continuous living crops and systems can be the key piece of the puzzle in the SAF hub’s quest for low- and zero-carbon aviation, but only if corporate and government partners adequately invest in their promise. MEP and partners will continue to engage on this issue to ensure that efforts to cut aviation emissions are real, not just smoke and mirrors.