Researchers from NREL are collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to examine how more electrification will be implemented at airports across the nation, including the addition of more renewable energy sources to meet the energy requirements of airports and the communities they serve. In 1926, a key year for the development of aviation technology, tourism, and commerce, the first federal office on aviation was founded. Charles Lindbergh completed his historic transatlantic journey from the United States to France in less than a year. Le Bourget Field, close to Paris, was crowded with fans eager to see the jet and pilot who had traveled 3,610 miles to reach their shores. It had only been 24 years since the Wright brothers made their first 120-foot flight at Kitty Hawk.
Read the technical report on Electrification of Aircraft: Challenges, Barriers, and Potential Impacts from NREL (Schwab, Amy, et al., Oct 2021).
In the past century, the aviation industry has experienced multiple waves of rapid innovation, and a new movement toward electrified aircraft is driving the sector toward its next frontier. The federal government continues to play a crucial role in certifying airworthiness and promoting safety in the skies and on the ground when new aircraft models come online. The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States Department of Transportation is now in charge of this (FAA).
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) integrated analysis enables the FAA to develop safety guidelines and suggest resilient and effective airport infrastructure that can accommodate these cutting-edge aircraft designs.
Aircraft and airports are integrated into NRELS holistic planning. In order to find solutions for installing electrical infrastructure at scale with an emphasis on energy efficiency, cost savings, and resilience, NREL will evaluate a number of U.S. airports.
Who is assessing the infrastructure for electrified flying, we enquired? Scott Cary, who oversees NREL’s projects for sustainable aviation, made the statement. We are currently researching that element so that the FAA can provide airports the direction they require if they decide to be early adopters.
Several electric aircraft are now undergoing certification, with short-distance markets for freight, passengers, and specific needs in mind. Like helicopters, many take off and land without a runway, and some are getting ready for pilotless operation.
In order to support these aircraft at public sites, the FAA will provide safety recommendations for the planning and design of landing spaces and on-the-ground infrastructure. The majority of airport electrical systems have not traditionally been designed to enable megawatt-level charging, and energy for buildings is managed separately from energy for planes.
According to Wesley Major, an FAA airport research specialist, the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the infrastructure requirements of these particular aircraft. This technique heavily relies on the airport infrastructure study by NREL.
In addition to safety and charging services, the study will assess related aspects like the potential for job creation in the advanced air transportation sector, particularly in underserved areas, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This thorough understanding will make it possible to achieve audacious energy-saving targets and will show how to upgrade legacy systems to serve next-generation aircraft.
GRID STABILIZATION THROUGH LOCAL GENERATION Transportation requirements, not energy availability, dictate where an airport is located. Particularly in rural locations, many aircraft hubs are found near the end of distribution lines where the power supply is already constrained.
The query is: Can a source of generation be introduced into a community along with a new energy load? said Cary. There may be two planned flights per day at smaller airports. The local grid would be more stable for the rest of the day if the aircraft could refuel using on-site generation or generation on land nearby that was leased to an energy supplier. Communities are connected, and energy is established nearer to the users.
Data from actual airports and general aircraft certification standards are used in NREL’s investigation. Site evaluations will pinpoint the ideal locations for energy provision, including incorporating different combinations of energy generation and storage. The FAA recently streamlined the assessment procedure for airports and amended guidelines on where to locate solar photovoltaics and battery energy storage. 20% of public airports in the US, according to a 2020 study from the University of Colorado, have solar PV technology installed.
Currently, airport infrastructure on the ground is responsible for 9% to 20% of all aviation emissions. Using ecosystem-wide adaptations, this might be significantly decreased. A more reliable power supply for the airport and the areas it serves might result from a diversification of energy sources and the use of cutting-edge fuels (including those made from renewable sources).
To assist the FAA in developing requirements for energy security and resilience, the research team at NREL is also conducting a hazard analysis. The thorough study foresees the possibility, consequences, and mitigating actions for disturbances including lightning, power surges, water or debris ingress, cord damage, and many other potential occurrences. NREL’s prior research in the cybersecurity of extreme fast-charging stations for electric cars and trucks will be used in a high-level cybersecurity assessment, which will make an inventory of potential cyber-related threats.
Utilizing the laboratory infrastructure of the U.S. Department of Energy, according to Major, complements the FAA’s missions and capabilities. The FAA can apply current transportation research to aerospace demands by collaborating with NREL.
NRELs energy systems integration capabilities is characterized by balancing loads and generation, taking stakeholder perspectives into account, and undertaking techno-economic analysis with site-specific complications. It’s time to take the laboratory into the sky after more than 20 years of helping the electric, hydrogen, and biofuels businesses on the ground.
Study up on NREL’s research capabilities for sustainable aviation .
Read the technical report on Electrification of Aircraft: Challenges, Barriers, and Potential Impacts from NREL (Schwab, Amy, et al., Oct 2021).
Thanks to the AAA7 for the article.
Through Moriah Petty
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