This article was originally published on Airport Magazine.
The effects of climate change are clearly intensifying, evidenced by searing summers, more violent storms, shrinking ice caps and unprecedented droughts all over the globe. Governmental and public pressure is growing for lowering greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) across all sectors, with a particular focus aimed at the aviation industry.
As a large contributor of CO2 emissions, producing more than 920 million metric tons in 2019, aviation is in the spotlight as a major emitter, but it also is poised to create substantial positive impact as it makes strides to lower its carbon output.
In fact, aviation has been at the forefront for leading carbon reduction strategies, having publicly set an industry-wide pledge to be net zero by 2050. Most of the focus has centered on developing alternative low-carbon biofuels and transitioning to more efficient flight paths and aircrafts.
“Often overlooked, however, is another major carbon-emitting piece of the aviation ecosystem: airports.”
Often overlooked, however, is another major carbon-emitting piece of the aviation ecosystem: airports. These massive builtspaces comprising many structures and vast land use — more than 115,000 acres for the 10 largest airports in the U.S. alone — are responsible for a large portion of the industry’s GHG contribution. Built environments in general are responsible for more than 40 percent of all CO2 emissions.
With the demand for aviation predicted to grow 86 percent over the next 20 years, airports can make significant sustainability gains by addressing the “low-hanging fruit” within their systems. Incremental, operations-wide progress toward sustainability in the ground facilities have the potential to produce major reductions that will move the industry into a more positive space.
“Airport operations managers can take a major step toward reducing waste and improving their energy efficiency in all these areas by simply identifying how energy is flowing throughout a space. Having a foundational baseline that is easily accessible, accounts for multiple factors (monitoring activities, occupant levels, energy patterns, utility data) gives managers the information required to implement strategic actions that optimize energy use.”
FAA recommends that airports monitor three key greenhouse gas areas: owned emissions associated with on-site vehicles and power plants; heat and electricity efficiency; and indirect emissions (for example, those from passenger vehicles, waste disposal, airport vendors and ground crew activity). FAA has provided more than $300 million to electrify airports, converting ramp equipment to electrical systems and ground vehicles to electrical vehicles.
As helpful as the electrification projects are, these mostly address airport ground transportation. Airports are grappling with much more complex challenges for addressing sustainability within their structures as facility operators contend with immense, cavernous spaces not ideal for energy efficiency.
Many airports in the U.S. were built more than 40 years ago, designed for handling half of today’s traveler demand. With more than 700 million people passing through the country’s 10 busiest airports annually and operating 24/7, airports have intensive draws on their always-on HVAC systems. Doors are constantly opening to outside elements, unused areas are lit and heated even at hours when few people pass through, and while floor-to-ceiling windows offer natural light, excessive glare intensifies indoor heat and occupant comfort.
Airport operations managers can take a major step toward reducing waste and improving their energy efficiency in all these areas by simply identifying how energy is flowing throughout a space. Having a foundational baseline that is easily accessible, accounts for multiple factors (monitoring activities, occupant levels, energy patterns, utility data) gives managers the information required to implement strategic actions that optimize energy use.
Optimized ventilation and air-conditioning, lighting and heating systems are critical for reaching airport sustainability goals. Today’s carbon accounting software helps airport energy teams in multiple ways. It can support data-informed decisions as to where switching to renewable energy sources is the most effective. Older buildings are prime candidates for energy retrofitting for solar and other renewable sources. Transitioning from manual tracking to a cloud-based sustainability platform will compile the real-time information required for assessing where changes can be made as well as for required emissions reporting.
Building management platforms that employ AI can automate greener practices such as dimming lights when they’re not needed based on occupancy or reducing heat in unused areas or at off-hours. Platforms that have full system data tools and building performance comparison visualization will reveal deep actionable data about energy use within every aspect of an airport.
As the aviation industry faces intense scrutiny about how it will decarbonize, it’s also forecast to be serving more passengers than ever. To meet bold net-zero goals and improve operational efficiency, energy management practices need to show short-term returns to foster collaboration and innovation for longer-term changes. Reducing an airport’s energy footprint won’t happen overnight, but making even small, calculable progress in multiple areas will inspire momentum and create real reductions over time.
