Tomorrow’s Air identifies and carefully selects innovative climate technology suppliers to receive investment from our collective. Sustainable aviation fuel is a biofuel used to power aircraft that has similar properties to conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint. Through research and expert interviews we evaluate the carbon intensity, sustainability, technical readiness and scalability along with monitoring and verification integrity of any sustainable aviation fuel provider.
SAF Sustainability criteria specify that a SAF must demonstrate a net carbon reduction through a lifecycle analysis. In the United States, the sustainability of renewable fuels is monitored through the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) sustainability requirements. Tomorrow’s Air looks for EPA certified SAF.
In the aviation fuel industry, ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) provides the international standard for jet fuel quality, and helps ensure the safety, quality, and reliability of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Tomorrow’s Air looks for ASTM D1655 certified SAF.
Carbon intensity for SAF means the emissions associated with cultivating, harvesting, processing and transporting feedstocks to fuel production facilities, as well as fuel transportation and distribution, and fuel combustion in an aircraft engine. Tomorrow’s Air looks for lowest carbon intensity SAF providers.
SAF can be created from a range of source materials - feedstocks - which vary in terms of their availability and tradeoffs associated with their use. Today, so called “2nd generation” wastes and residues, despite the challenges they pose in terms of processing into fuel, are acknowledged as most sustainable due to lower land use. Tomorrow’s Air looks for suppliers with available 2nd gen feedstocks ready to scale.