The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office has unveiled a comprehensive Summary Report stemming from a Request for Information (RFI) conducted in September 2023, focusing on the establishment of supply chains to meet Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge objectives.
Launched in 2021 by DOE, alongside the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the SAF Grand Challenge targets the provision of adequate SAF to fulfill all U.S. aviation fuel requirements by 2050 while achieving a minimum 50% reduction in life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional fuels.
The RFI, open to industry, academia, national laboratories, government agencies, and various stakeholders, solicited insights to identify pathways for developing efficient supply chains capable of meeting the ambitious SAF Grand Challenge goals. Over a two-month period, stakeholders offered their feedback, resulting in several noteworthy observations.
Responses were segmented into five distinct categories, including accelerating the success of regional SAF supply chain coalitions, leveraging modeling and simulation tools for optimizing the SAF supply chain, pinpointing critical gaps in demonstration and SAF supply chain components, facilitating the scaling and commercialization of SAF supply chain elements, and delineating the government's role in informing stakeholders.
The RFI highlighted the significance of federal and state policies, as well as collaborative efforts among stakeholders, in propelling the advancement of SAF supply chains. It emphasized the necessity of coordinated actions to foster progress in sustainable aviation fuel infrastructure.
The insights gleaned from this initiative are deemed critical in comprehending industry perspectives and requirements as efforts continue toward fostering a more sustainable trajectory for the aviation sector.
