Energy intensity of passenger aviation in the Sustainable Development Scenario, 2000-2030 – Charts – Data & Statistics - IEA (2024)

FAQs

What is the energy intensity of aviation? ›

Energy intensity of aviation

The energy intensity of aircraft has declined by an average 1% per year since 1970²⁶, falling from 31.6 MJ tkm_e⁻¹ (2.8 MJ pkm_e⁻¹) in 1990 to about 12.6 MJ tkm_e⁻¹ (1.1 MJ pkm_e⁻¹) in 2021 (Fig. 1b, black line).

Another short-term innovation is sustainable aviation fuel, a type of biofuel that's most often made from used cooking oil and similar biomass. Over its life cycle, SAF can produce less carbon dioxide than conventional jet fuel, with which it may be blended.

RTK = revenue tonne kilometre (one RTK is generated when a metric tonne of revenue load is carried one km).

Climate change and flying: what share of global CO2 emissions come from aviation? Flying is a highly controversial topic in climate debates. It accounts for around 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions, but 3.5% when we take non-CO₂ impacts on climate into account. Flying is a highly controversial topic in climate debates.

Energy intensity is a measure of the energy inefficiency of an economy. It is calculated as units of energy per unit of GDP. High energy intensities indicate a high price or cost of converting energy into GDP. Low energy intensity indicates a lower price or cost of converting energy into GDP.

Energy Intensity is measured by the quantity of energy required per unit output or activity, so that using less energy to produce a product reduces the intensity.

The energy density standard is 42.8 MJ/kg minimum, and Jet A-1 complies with 42.9 MJ/kg, while ATJ has 44.0 MJ/kg.

As the speed of the airplane increases, the mechanical energy is converted into kinetic energy. As the airplane goes higher, the mechanical energy is changed into gravitational potential energy. While flying, some energy is lost through drag to thermal (heat) energy and sound energy.

SAF gives an impressive reduction of up to 80% in carbon emissions over the lifecycle of the fuel compared to traditional jet fuel it replaces, depending on the sustainable feedstock used, production method and the supply chain to the airport.

Pressure Altitude: Pressure Altitude = Altitude + (1013 - QNH) × 27. Density Altitude: Density Altitude = Pressure Altitude + (OAT - ISA_Tpa) × 120. Specific Air Range (SAR): SAR = (TAS / Power) × (1 / SFC) Specific Ground Range (SGR): GS / Fuel Flow or GS / Power.

How do you calculate aviation? ›

To find the distance flown in a given time, multiply GS by time. The distance flown in 1 hour 45 minutes at a GS of 120 knots is 120 × 1.75 or 210 NM. To find the GS, divide the distance flown by the time required. If an aircraft flies 270 NM in 3 hours, the GS is 270 ÷ 3 = 90 knots.

The bank angle required to conduct a turn at a specific rate is directly proportional to True Airspeed (TAS). The approximate bank angle required to accomplish a coordinated rate one turn (3°/second) can be calculated by dividing the TAS (in knots) by 10 and then adding 7.

The EPA states that “a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.” Comparatively, a cross-country, round-trip flight in economy from New York to Los Angeles produces an estimated 0.62 tons of CO2 per passenger, according to the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ...

If we calculate based on CO2 emissions from aviation fuel of 3.15 grams per 1 gram of fuel, this means we arrive at a figure of 115 gm per passenger km. Since these planes cruise at approximately 780 km per hour, we can conclude a figure of 90 kg CO2 per hour.

Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions and, hence, one of the biggest polluters driving global climate change.

The energy efficiency is also occasionally known as energy intensity. The inverse of the energy efficiency in transport, is the energy consumption in transport. Energy efficiency in transport is often described in terms of fuel consumption, fuel consumption being the reciprocal of fuel economy.

Energy intensity is one of the indicators to measure the energy needs of an economy. It is often used as an approximation of energy efficiency. Many factors influence energy intensity. It reflects on structure of economy and its cycle, general standards of living and weather conditions in the reference area.

Energy intensity is the ratio between gross inland energy consumption (GIEC) and gross domestic product (GDP), calculated for a calendar year. GIEC is calculated as the sum of the gross inland consumption of the five sources of energy: solid fuels, oil, gas, nuclear and renewable sources.

Jet fuel has an energy density of 9.6 kWh/L. What this means is that jet fuel, pound for pound, is nearly 50x more energy-dense than batteries. However, the inefficiency of internal combustion means that 1,000 pounds of jet fuel yields only about 14x more power than 1000 lbs of batteries.