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The CEO of Ryanair has acknowledged the need for ambitious sustainable aviation fuel targets while also expressing concerns about how food prices could be affected.

During a discussion at CNBC’s Sustainable Future Forum on Wednesday, Michael O’Leary said his firm was investing “a lot of money” with Trinity College Dublin on research into sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. In April, the two organizations launched a sustainable aviation research center backed by a 1.5 million euro ($1.75 million) donation from the airline.  

As well as focusing on SAF, the center will look at noise mapping and zero-carbon propulsion systems for aircraft.

Ryanair has itself set a target of powering 12.5% of its flights with SAF by the year 2030. But speaking to CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick, O’Leary said he thought it was “a very ambitious target – I’m not sure we’ll get there.”  

He went on to articulate his feelings about the wider effects of increasing SAF usage. “I do worry over the longer term, though, on sustainable aviation fuels … what’s that going to do to food prices going forward?”

“I think we’re going to reach a point in the next 10 or 20 years where there will be challenges posed not just for the airline industry, but for industry in general, around sustainable aviation fuels where it may have an upward impact on food prices.”  

Although the European Union Aviation Safety Agency says there’s “not a single internationally agreed definition” of sustainable aviation fuel, the overarching idea is that it can be used to reduce an aircraft’s emissions. 

Aircraft-maker Airbus describes sustainable aviation fuels as being “made from renewable raw material,” for example, “crops based or used cooking oil and animal fat.”

Despite his concerns, O’Leary said he was certain that ambitious targets needed to be put in place.

“The European Union has set a target of 5% of sustainable aviation fuel by 2030,” he said. “We think we can do better than that – I think we’ll get to 10%.”

“Whether we can get to 12 and a half percent, I’m not sure, but I know if we don’t invest in the research and that technology now, we certainly won’t get there.”

Huge challenges

According to the International Energy Agency, carbon dioxide emissions from aviation “have risen rapidly over the past two decades,” hitting almost 1 metric gigaton in 2019. This, it notes, equates to “about 2.8% of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion.”

Elsewhere, the World Wildlife Fund describes aviation as “one of the fastest-growing sources of the greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change.” It adds that air travel is the most carbon intensive activity an individual can do.

As concerns about sustainability and the environment mount, discussions about aviation have increasingly focused on how new innovations and ideas could reduce the sector’s environmental footprint.

In September 2020, for instance, a hydrogen fuel-cell plane capable of carrying passengers took to the skies over England for its maiden flight.

The same month also saw Airbus release details of three hydrogen-fueled concept planes, with the European aerospace giant claiming they could enter service by the year 2035.  

O’Leary was cautious when it came to the outlook for new and emerging technologies in the sector.

“I think … we should be honest again,” he said. “Certainly, for the next decade … I don’t think you’re going to see any — there’s no technology out there that’s going to replace … carbon, jet aviation.”

“I don’t see the arrival of … hydrogen fuels, I don’t see the arrival of sustainable fuels, I don’t see the arrival of electric propulsion systems, certainly not before 2030,” he went on to say.

“So it will certainly be after my career in the airline industry is finished … but I hope it will get here before the end of our mortal lives.”

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Oakland is now first in the US to have a 100% electric school bus fleet – and it’s V2G

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May 15, 2024

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Oakland is now first in the US to have a 100% electric school bus fleet – and it's V2G

Oakland electric school bus
Photo: Zum

An Oakland, California, school district is the first in the US to transition to a 100% electric school bus system with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. 

Modern student transportation platform Zum has provided Oakland Unified School District with a fleet of 74 electric school buses and bidirectional chargers. Utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) supplied 2.7 megawatts (MW) of load to Zum’s Oakland EV-ready facility. The fleet will be managed through Zum’s AI-enabled technology platform.

“Oakland becoming the first in the nation to have a 100% electric school bus fleet is a huge win for the Oakland community and the nation as a whole,” said Kim Raney, executive director of transportation at Oakland Unified School District. “The families of Oakland are disproportionately disadvantaged and affected by high rates of asthma and exposure to air pollution from diesel fuels.”

The 100% electric school bus fleet is not only emissions-free but also plays a critical dual role as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), giving 2.1 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy back to the power grid at scale annually. Here’s how it works:

Student transportation is the largest mass transit system in the United States, moving 27 million students twice daily. Today, over 90% of the US’s 500,000 school buses run on carbon-based fuels, releasing over 8.4 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.

Zum, which already has a presence in 14 states, says its next step is to electrify the school bus fleets of San Francisco Unified and Los Angeles Unified school districts, which have fleets three and six times the size of Zum’s Oakland fleet, respectively.

Read more: EPA announces $1B in grants for electric school buses and heavy-duty vehicles

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Microsoft’s carbon emissions have risen 30% since 2020 due to data center expansion

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May 15, 2024

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Microsoft’s carbon emissions have risen 30% since 2020 due to data center expansion

Exterior view of the Microsoft Times Square building in New York City on Jan. 29, 2023.

Kena Betancur | Corbis News | Getty Images

Microsoft‘s total carbon emissions have risen nearly 30% since 2020 primarily due to the construction of data centers, the company said in its annual sustainability report Wednesday.

Microsoft’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions — those generated by the company’s activities and the consumption of electricity or heat it uses — decreased 6.3% in 2023 compared to 2020, according to the report.

However, its indirect emissions — those that stem from all other activities Microsoft engages in — increased 30.9% during the same period.

The increase in Microsoft’s indirect emissions is largely due to the building materials and hardware components, such as semiconductors, servers and racks, used in constructing more data centers.

“Our challenges are in part unique to our position as a leading cloud supplier that is expanding its datacenters,” Microsoft said in its annual sustainability report. The tech company said the data center buildout demonstrates the need for greener concrete, steel, fuels and chips.

The expansion of data centers poses a challenge to tech companies that have set ambitious timelines to eliminate their carbon footprints. Microsoft aims to become carbon negative by 2030.

Microsoft is implementing a new requirement for the company’s “select scale, high volume suppliers to use 100% carbon-free electricity” by 2030 in an effort to address its indirect emissions.

Artificial intelligence and data centers are expected to represent 8% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2030, more than double their share today, according to a Goldman Sachs report published in April.

Goldman Sachs expects natural gas to fuel 60% of the increased power demand from data centers, while renewables will power the remaining 40%. Utility companies such as Dominion Energy and Duke Energy have said natural gas will need to play a role in backing up renewables when solar and wind are not generating enough power due to weather conditions.

Microsoft aims to have 100% of the company’s electricity consumption matched by zero-carbon energy purchases by the end of the decade. The company increased its contracted renewable energy assets to more than 19.8 gigawatts across 21 countries last year. It also contracted 5 million metric tons of carbon removal over the next 15 years.

Microsoft inked a deal with Brookfield Asset Management earlier this month to contract 10.5 gigawatts of renewable energy between 2026 and 2030. Brookfield and Microsoft described the agreement as the single-largest power purchase agreement signed between two corporate partners.

Microsoft also recently signed an agreement with a Swedish partner to remove 3.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, also described as the largest deal of its kind to date.

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BYD just hit a new weekly EV sales record for 2024 in China ahead of key model launches

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May 15, 2024

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BYD just hit a new weekly EV sales record for 2024 in China ahead of key model launches

BYD-EV-sales-record

China’s leading electric car maker, BYD, just hit a new YTD EV sales record last week in its home country. BYD expects the momentum to continue with new EVs rolling out in key segments globally.

BYD hit a new weekly EV sales record in May

New data from Morgan Stanley (via Investing.com) shows electric vehicles outpaced their gas-powered rivals last week after recovering from the recent holiday in China.

Domestic brands had the biggest gains, with automakers like BYD, Li Auto, and NIO all seeing double-digit week-over-week (WOW) sales improvements. BYD had the biggest WOW improvement, with registrations up 30% to 69,500 last week.

Through May 12, BYD had 101,300 registrations in China. BYD sold 300,114 EVs globally in the first three months of the year, up 13.4% YOY. In April, BYD sold another 134,465 EVs, up 17% over April 2023. Through the first four months of 2024, BYD sold 434,579 electric cars.

Other domestic EV makers like Li Auto saw sales climb 50% WOW to around 8,000. NIO had a 23% improvement with new promotions pushing sales to 4,400 units.

BYD-EV-sales-record
BYD SEAL (Source: BYD)

NIO introduced the first EV, the L60 electric SUV, under its mass-market Onvo brand Wednesday. Starting at just $30,500 (219,900 yuan), NIO aims to compete with Tesla’s Model Y.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s sales declined 11% in China last week, with around 9,800 units sold. According to China Passenger Car Association data, Tesla sold 31,421 cars in China in April, down nearly 50% from the 62,398 sold in March.

BYD-EV-sales-record
BYD Atto 3 production (Source: BYD)

New models launching

BYD launched its own Tesla Model Y rival last week, the Sea Lion 07. The BYD Sea Lion 07 starts at $26,250 (189,900 yuan) as the first EV based on its new e-Platform 3.0 Evo.

Designed by ex-Lamborghini and Audi designer Wolfgang Egger, you can see influence from the iconic brands integrated into the electric SUV’s design.

BYD-launches-Sea-Lion-07
BYD Sea Lion 07, the brand’s first “mid-sized urban smart electric SUV” (Source: BYD)

The new electric SUV is available in three powertrains, two single-motor, and one dual-motor AWD option.

BYD Sea Lion 07 trim Starting price Range (CLTC)
550 Standard 189,800 yuan ($26,250) 550 km (341 miles)
610 Long Range 199,800 yuan ($27,625) 610 km (379 miles)
610 Smart 219,800 yuan ($30,389) 610 km (379 miles)
550 4WD Smart Navigation 239,800 yuan ($33,154) 550 km (341 miles)
BYD Sea Lion 07 prices

The single motor variants are offered with 71.8 kWh or 80.64 kWh BYD Blade batteries for up to 550 km (341 mi) or 610 km (341 mi) CLTC range, respectively. The dual motor model gets up to 550 km (341 mi) CLTC range.

BYD’s new electric SUV undercuts Tesla’s best-selling Model Y, which starts at 249,900 yuan ($34,550) with up to 554 km (344 mi) CLTC range.

BYD-Seagull-EV
BYD Dolphin Mini (Seagull) testing in Brazil (Source: BYD)

The new electric SUV comes after BYD revealed a series of lower-cost “Honor Edition” versions of its most popular EVs. For example, its cheapest Seagull EV Honor Edition starts at just $9,700 (69,800 yuan).

BYD plans to launch a new Seal electric car, which currently competes with the Tesla Model 3. Little is known about the new EV, but it’s expected to debut in June.

BYD-EV-sales-record
BYD’s wide-reaching portfolio (Source: BYD)

The automaker is expanding into new segments like luxury with its Yangwang brand launching several new EVs.

Most recently, BYD introduced its first PHEV pickup, the BYD Shark, this week in Mexico. The BYD Shark will start at 969,800 pesos ($58,100) to rival the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.

Source: CnEVPost, Investing.com

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