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Many options available to make airports greener
Air travel has a huge environmental impact, from the millions of gallons of jet fuel that flights consume each day to food and container waste generated by airport and in-flight food service. Pinched by rising energy prices and pressured by consumer and regulatory demands for "greener" operations, airports are coming up with creative ways to reduce that impact. Measures that help other 24/7 loads manage costs, like efficient lighting, automated system controls and building improvements, are available to airports. The U.S. Green Building Council is working toward a LEED standard for airport design. However, some criteria conflict with airport safety and operational needs. Airport operations employ a lot of highly regulated equipment for which there are no more energy-efficient substitutes. Also, since airport occupants are mostly transient, several design criteria that make sense in an office don't apply to an airport space. That hasn't stopped several airports from pursuing LEED certification for building projects, including Oakland International Airport in California. The airport's Terminal 2 expansion project will soon be LEED certified and 50 percent of its electricity will have green energy attributes. The new terminal area includes the use of recycled materials in restroom partitions, wall wainscoting and ceiling tiles. The material in the ceiling tiles also reflects light to reduce the load on the heating and cooling systems. Port of Oakland enters solar agreement Oakland is also among many airports that are offsetting their energy use by purchasing or developing renewable energy. In 2004, the Port of Oakland, a Western customer, set its own renewable portfolio standard. By 2017, 20 percent of the electricity the port purchases for resale will come from renewable resources. Their ultimate objective is 40 percent renewable energy. The port board approved its first solar energy purchase agreement last June. Upon signing the power purchase agreement that is being negotiated, SunEdison LLC will design, build, own and operate a 170,000 square foot ground–based solar power system. Port of Oakland Engineering Director Jerry Serventi said that the power purchase agreement is a trial for the port to see how the project comes together. "Private companies are eligible for tax incentives and credits that government agencies like the port can't receive. Through the public-private partnership, SunEdison can collect the incentives that make the project feasible and the Port of Oakland gets the locally-generated renewable power." The system will be located on open ground between a runway and an airport access road. Rooftop-based systems on other airport buildings may also be installed. "Airports have a lot of land that just sits there, so at first glance, it would seem to be the perfect place for large solar installations," Serventi said. "Not all of that space can be used, though, and there are security issues surrounding third-party technicians having access to some buildings." Over the 20-year period of the contract, the system will generate an estimated 24 million kWh. "If you count large hydro, the solar power will help put us over our 20 percent goal," said Serventi. "Our eventual goal is to get 40 percent of our power from renewables." The Oakland International Airport is also home to the world's largest corporate solar electric system. FedEx built a 900-kW, 81,000-sq. ft. solar system atop the company's airport hub facility. The courier service buys its power from the Port, so that was another case of a private company developing a system that benefits both the owner and the public power provider, noted Serventi. PV partnership benefits airport, utility Riverside Airport Terminal and Riverside Public Utilities in Southern California teamed up to turn a remodeling project into a power producer. The airport is replacing an aging wooden canopy at its entry way with a steel-and-solar panel structure. To be completed this fall, the system will provide the airport with 20 kW of clean power and bring RPU's total of locally generated renewable electricity to 530 kW—more than halfway to the utility's goal of 1 MW. Both the airport and RPU are city departments, so the installation is a joint project, said RPU Renewable Resources Administrator Atoya Mendez. "The need was there and the timing was right," she explained, referring to the airport expanding its service to business travelers and corporate flights. "The airport is very excited about the project," said Interim Airport Director John Curts. "Not only will it provide part of our power needs, it gives the entry way a sleek, high-tech look that fits with the facility upgrade." Visibility is a high priority for RPU when selecting locations for solar installations. "The educational component of our solar program is very important," Mendez said. "The systems should generate interest and curiosity as well as electricity. We want residents to recognize that their city is a leader in developing environmentally responsible solutions." RPU contributed $343,500 to the project's estimated $393,500 budget. The funding came from state-mandated Public Benefit funds earmarked for renewable energy projects. The airport will allocate the remaining $50,000. Grid connected PV powerplants aren't the only option for airports interested in renewable energy. The Truckee-Tahoe airport in northern California installed solar-powered taxiway lights, saving the airport the cost of extending power lines to its runway area. Opportunities in waste management Airports, especially large ones, are often self-contained cities with shops, restaurants, offices, hotels, services from laundry to medical care—and waste disposal needs for each business. Recycling is an easy way for airports to improve their sustainability and sometimes the bottom line. Food vendors at Portland International Airport collect more than 1 ton of pre-consumer food waste a week to send to an organic waste recycling and soil amendment manufacturer. Those lumpy, scratchy airplane pillows get a second life as insulation or furniture materials in a program that Oakland International participates in. The Salt Lake City International Airport has a broad range of recovery and processing initiatives for recyclable materials, from both airport and tenant operations. The city airport department's single stream recycling program recycles office paper, magazines, paperboard, Nos. 1-7 plastic, newspaper, aluminum and junk mail. The airport provides desk-side recycling boxes to each airline, tenant and vendor. Building material and soil from reconstruction projects are recycled and reused, and an extensive program to capture and recycle industrial chemicals is in place. Albany International Airport may lay claim to the most unusual airport recycling effort by using microbes to dispose of de-icer solution. After a plane is defrosted, the nutrient-rich propylene glycol is fed into two reactors. The "bugs" in the granulated carbon-filled reactors convert the solution into methane and carbon over about eight hours. The digested solution is then processed through a sand filtration system to remove sludges. The resulting potable-quality water is safely released into a nearby creek. Some of the methane the microbes produce heats the two buildings housing the treatment facility, but most of it is flared. That gas may one day present another renewable energy opportunity for Albany International. More efficient facilities, renewable energy and recycling are helping an energy-intensive industry slowly, but surely shrink its environmental footprint. Maybe, someday, we will even have biofueled jets—the research is being done. In the meantime, Serventi said, "Airports can do something tangible to show the community that they are serious about protecting the environment." Please visit our home page at http://www.wapa.gov/es/pubs/esb/default.htm |
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