The grid may fail, airports shouldn't
The power always comes back on.
It did at London's Heathrow Airport earlier this year after a fire at a substation disrupted some 1,400 flights at the global hub, upending the plans and lives of 200,000 passengers. It did again on the Iberian Peninsula in April after a power outage, whose cause is still undetermined, knocking out transit in Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon and grounding flights even as back-up generators kicked on. And it did in May after the air traffic control tower at Houston Hobby lost power for an hour and backup generators kicked on.
Some might say the missed business meetings, the vacations disrupted, and the cargo delayed are unfortunate costs of doing business, collateral damage in a system that supports $4.1 trillion in world economic activity.
Others might think the airport power outages are so rare or brief that the fix—a power source not reliant on the existing electric grid—is a cost-prohibitive solution.
Critical role in global connectivity
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) surveyed 24 commercial airports in 2023 and found a total of 321 electrical power outages—i.e., an unplanned loss of power lasting five minutes or longer—from 2015 through 2022. Eleven of the airports reported six or more outages over this eight-year period.
The GAO study came after Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport— the world's busiest —had a power outage in 2017 and LAX—the world's seventh busiest —had one in 2019. Because of the interconnected nature of commercial aviation, the effects of those outages rippled across the nation and world.
Airports play a critical role in global connectivity, in local and regional economic growth, and— in the event of disasters—the most likely place where aid and rebuilding supplies will first arrive. They are also where transplant organs, high-value, time-sensitive goods, and critical machinery/parts needed for hospitals and utility companies arrive. Reliably functioning airport infrastructure matters. Our lives and livelihoods depend on them.
New energy solutions
At Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), we started to think about options after Atlanta's outage and took decisive action after Los Angeles' outage. Our goal was to ensure resiliency and redundancy so we could have power, no matter what. Four years ago, we commissioned a first-in-the-world airport microgrid that fully powers a major airport.
Since then, we have achieved site-hardened infrastructure, lowered our cost of energy (in the millions, annually) and contributed to cleaner air by sourcing our energy very locally. PIT's microgrid, powered by a 20 MW energy plant using on-site natural gas and a 3MW solar facility with nearly 10,000 panels built on top of a landfill, allows us to operate independently if outside disruptions occur—and they have. A recent regional power loss that impacted commercial customers throughout the region had no effect on the airport. Our microgrid provided full power to our airport and airfield, without any disruption.
Not every airport is blessed with huge supplies of natural gas on property, but by adopting innovative solutions to provide energy security, we can make our world a better place for everyone—whether they fly or not. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Airports must analyze the resources available that make the most sense for their circumstances—whether it's solar power, natural gas pipelines, or other creative options.
The industry has faced threats and found solutions time and time again. As a result, air travel is safer and more secure. Now is the time for airports to lead with a vision that sees beyond runways and terminals and create plans for resilience and build a future that withstands the loss of power.
Because wouldn't it be better and safer for us all if the power never went out?
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