Airports could evolve into energy as well as transport hubs
The next few years are likely to be challenging for airports worldwide. Net zero ambitions and geopolitical considerations are driving rapid changes in aircraft propulsion and the operation and overall accessibility of airport services. Additionally, climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, which, in some cases, is impacting airport operations.
These are separate processes, but what unites them is that they are likely to lead to a massive increase in the need for power across an airport’s infrastructure. Estimates vary, but analysis from the World Economic Forum suggests that by 2050, airports’ power requirements will be five to ten times higher than they are today.[1]
Meeting this is well beyond the reach of simple efficiency gains, and there is a growing awareness that airports need to make extensive infrastructure investments if they are going to be able to keep up with demand, particularly if the extra power needs to be generated in clean ways.
It is also worth noting that some airports, particularly regional airports with a lot of physical space, are already in the process of investigating and even implementing power generation on their estate. Wind turbines are not on the agenda, but racks of solar panels or even small hydrogen generation plants are being installed in some carefully considered locations.
This could lead to airports changing their relationship with energy providers. In some instances they are becoming power producers, contributing to the wider local community’s power requirements. Taking this process to its logical conclusion, some airports are already in the process of operating in parallel with their national grids by putting microgrids in place.
This article will look at the rise of microgrids from an airport perspective, discuss the advantages and outline some of the challenges.
A quick note on terminology: while energy and power are sometimes used interchangeably, for the purposes of this discussion, we will be using energy as power in its raw state and power as energy in its usable form: energy is what goes into a grid, power is what comes out of a plug-socket.
Without going too far into the technical details, a microgrid is a self-contained power network that is connected to, but able to run in parallel with, local, regional or national power infrastructure.[2] From an airport perspective, they potentially offer several benefits:
At this point there are only a handful of airports that have implemented microgrids, but they are in place more widely in several other industries including data centres, and some hospitals and commercial buildings, so there is plenty of experience in the power sector at setting up microgrids.
Setting up a microgrid sounds like a logical solution to the growing appetite for power, the rising risk of natural disasters and the increasing competition for power from other industries. There are several factors that should be considered when contemplating the process of setting one up.
The most obvious is that power generation can represent a catastrophic risk in and of itself and that combining that with a complex environment such as an airport is a process that needs to be approached carefully. As stated above though, there are several other sectors that are embracing microgrids, so there are several active projects that can be adapted to the unique circumstances of the aviation industry.
From a financial perspective, while they can be structured to pay for themselves in the long term, capital expenditure can be significant during the early phases. A clear view of what is already in place and what needs to be put in place in what order is needed at every level of the business.
Smoothing demand spikes for electricity from a microgrid is also a challenge. While significant improvements in battery technology are being made, seemingly every day, at this point a microgrid will need to be carefully managed to ensure that it can smooth out peaks and troughs in demand.
Finally, while they are called microgrids, they unlikely to be small projects to implement. Airport leadership need to approach microgrid projects with their eyes open and recognise that while it could be the solution to many challenges in the long term, in the short term, installation is likely to be complicated and will need careful management and communication.[6]
For airports though, there is the question of how far from their basic remit do they want to move. Some management teams will be happy to take on the role in managing a microgrid in addition to their primary objective of offering a hub that brings aircraft, passengers and cargo together. The process of power system implementation, management and upgrade would be an unwelcome distraction to others however.
There are several power companies willing to work either in partnership with airports or on a pure ‘as a service’ model, where the power infrastructure provider owns the process and manages everything around it. It’s a model that is being taken up by both airports[7] and other public transport operators[8] in some countries as they look to manage changes to their infrastructure.
Ultimately, implementation of an appropriately sized and strategically located power infrastructure could be one of the biggest challenges that the aviation industry faces over the next few years, particularly airside where enhanced safety procedures are required and there is a need to minimise a wide range of risks. Change tends to make risk evolve, so involving as many perspectives as possible at an early stage in a project’s development could well offer benefits.
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