Sustainability and Environment
Sustainability and Environment
Sustainability and Environment
11 November 2021
Blog: An addition to the sustainable development goals
On October 31st the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) started in Glasgow. And the news is full of articles reminding us all, once again, the impact of all human activities on the climate and the desperate need to change. Criticism is raised against those participants who travelled to Glasgow by plane. As it happens more often this illustrates, the aviation sector is targeted as the “evil” industry.
Sustainability and Environment
01 October 2021
Innovations in aviation to preserve the environment and the climate
The Dutch aviation sector is investing in clean and smart mobility. To do that, various consortiums under the auspices of the sector organisations LRN and NAG have submitted ten project proposals to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO. Royal NLR has played an essential role in that. Given the aim of improved sustainability in aviation, the sector wants to use these proposals to obtain access to the Mobility Fund. In concrete terms, the proposals range from applications of new lightweight materials and the use of digital techniques through to developing electrically powered flight and using greener aviation fuels.
Sustainability and Environment
24 September 2021
Production of sustainable aviation fuels in the Netherlands might not meet demand
The amounts of sustainable aviation fuels being produced by 2050 from the biobased feedstocks that will be available in the Netherlands can only meet a fraction of the anticipated fuel demand. The supply potential for synthetic kerosene, produced using CO2 that has been recycled or captured from the atmosphere and renewable electricity, is larger and may be sufficient. However, that depends heavily on the amount of excess renewable electricity allocated to the aviation sector.
Sustainability and Environment
24 August 2021
Electric flight is taking off in the Netherlands
What do you need to consider when flights are electric? Royal NLR recently acquired a two-seater electrically powered research aircraft. Now it’s time to get some flying hours under our belt and gain more experience. The aircraft will make various flights throughout the Netherlands with stopovers at several airports. One thing this will produce is a first at Schiphol: the first time an electric plane lands there, recharges and sets off again for its next destination.
Sustainability and Environment
23 July 2021
Blog: Fit for 55!
Last Wednesday, the European Commission presented ‘Fit for 55%’, a package for the practical implementation of the EU’s Green Deal. In a previous blog post, I looked at a much-repeated misconception concerning kerosene tax. Now I wish to consider the question of to what extent the new package can boost the sustainability of the aviation industry.
Airport Operations
15 July 2021
Blog: Kerosene tax: what exactly is the deal?
As part of the set of measures proposed by the European Commission to meet the 2030 CO2 reduction target – ‘Fit for 55%’ – the topic of kerosene tax is back on the political agenda. In this blog, I will try to clarify the laws and regulations on this matter and correct a common misunderstanding.
Sustainability and Environment
12 July 2021
Centralised information about aircraft noise
Aircraft noise leads to a lot of discussions in the Netherlands. To keep not only the general public but also politicians and policymakers properly and objectively informed, RIVM (the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), NLR and To70 have bundled together relevant information about this topic and placed it on a new website, www.vliegtuiggeluid.nl. It covers topics such as measuring and calculating aircraft noise, what its effects on health are, and legislation and regulations.
Construction and Manufacturing