Airline passengers could fly to their destinations on jets fuelled by industrial waste or the contents of people’s dustbins if a government scheme succeeds in creating a new green energy source. The Department for Transport (DfT) is offering £22m of funding for projects to develop low-carbon, waste-based fuels for planes and lorries. About 70 groups want to bid for funding. The move follows the introduction of grants to encourage the take-up of ultra-low-emission electric vehicles, and plans to ban all new petrol and diesel cars by 2040, amid fears that rising levels of nitrogen oxide pose a major risk to public health. The government has identified poor air quality as the biggest environmental risk to public health in Britain. DfT data show that aircraft and lorries powered by waste fuels could use up to 90% less carbon than if they were powered by traditional fossil fuels. Planes and lorries are too heavy to use electric power.
Guardian 28th Aug 2017 read more »
