A report by the American Association of Airport Executive (AAAE) Airport Consortium on Transformation, said while electric demand is rising at airports across the country, airports are making progress.
However, the report said, gaps between electricity demand and available bandwidth, and that airports are increasingly assuming utility-like operational responsibilities. As more airports electrify vehicles, grounds service equipment fleets, terminals, heating systems, and airside operations, more are moving to solar, battery storage and microgrids, while planning, monitoring and managing power systems from a more sophisticated level.
Developed in partnership with Siemens, the report provides a comprehensive look at the challenges airports face and where significant gaps remain, including real-time power monitoring, staffing capacity, and tenant transparency.
“This report underscores the challenge and opportunity that airports have to transform the energy management approach to drive meaningful improvements across our industry,” Amy Nagengast, Energy Program Manager, San Francisco International Airport, said. “With SFO’s energy demands projected to grow significantly over the next 30 years, the time to modernize, digitize, and implement further resilient energy infrastructure systems is here.”
The research found that airports are finding ways to deliver power to all of their stakeholders more effectively and efficiently. The report looked at several airports including San Francisco International, Los Angeles World Airports, Denver International, Seattle-Tacoma International, Tampa International, San Luis Obispo County Regional, Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky., the Wayne County Airport Authority (Detroit Metropolitan Airport), and contributing airport Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The report found that despite an airport’s size, the airport executives stressed a sense of urgency to modernize aging systems, improve power visibility and prepare for long-term load growth.