Solar-powered airports? It could happen
— -- Jet contrails may be adding to global warming but on the ground, many airports are getting very green. During last week's Earth Day celebration air travelers could get free recycling tips at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's energy fair, free tote bags at Denver International Airport, and free plantable postcards embedded with wildflowers at Boston's Logan Airport. And all during April, aka Earth Month, airports around the country trumpeted their successes with recycling, solid-waste reduction, hybrid vehicle adoption, air quality improvement programs, and other eco-friendly actions. One exciting trend: solar and wind power projects that may eventually allow some airports to operate off the grid. Here are just some of the airports generating their own juice.
• In 2007, San Francisco International Airport installed more than 2,800 solar panels on the rooftop of Terminal 3. Visible from the AirTrain that travels between terminals, the solar panels generate a small percentage of the airport's overall electrical needs, but enough to power all the daytime lighting needs in Terminal 3. Pleased with the success of this first foray into solar power, airport officials plan to integrate solar, and possibly wind, power into Terminal 2, which is currently being remodeled.
• In 2008, a highly visible "solar forest" sprouted up just outside the south baggage claim area at California's Long Beach Airport. The six solar "trees" are actually steel poles topped with photovoltaic (PV) arrays that measure about 9 feet by 9 feet each and shift and tilt throughout the day to track the sun.
While the forest is a test project that generates less than 10% of the airport's overall energy needs, airport spokesperson Sharon Diggs-Jackson says there are plenty of educational rewards being harvested. "We have information panels out there that explain the project and tell people about things they can do to save energy at home."
Next year, when the airport breaks ground for a new parking structure, Diggs-Jackson says solar technology will be an integral part of the project.
• So far, the airports with the largest solar projects are in Denver and Fresno.
This past August, Denver International Airport dedicated a sprawling, 2-megawatt ground-mounted solar array system on 7.5 acres just south of the main terminal entrance. Now more than 9,200 panels follow the sun and generate up to 50% of the power needed to operate the airport's busy people-mover system.
Back in June, the Fresno Yosemite International Airport went on-line with a solar power system that includes 12,000 panels on 20 acres of land that airport planning manager Kevin Meikle says couldn't be used for anything else. Now, just eight months into the project, Meikle says the airport is realizing savings ahead of what they'd planned. "More than 50% of the airport energy use is now provided by solar. We budget $1.3 million a year for energy costs and this year we'll end up spending under a million."
• In 2007, Oakland International Airport installed a 756-kilowatt solar power system that now generates about 5% of the airport's power needs. How did airport officials know solar power was a good idea? Well, way back in 2004, FedEx, the airport's largest cargo operator, installed a 904-kilowatt solar power system on the roof of its Oakland airport facility and now generates 80% of its own power.
• Down in Texas, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport currently has two sets of solar panel arrays. One was installed back in 1998 near the airport's cargo facilities. The other was installed in 2000 at the airport's taxi cab staging area, and the panels do double duty by providing shade for the cabs. Now, discussions are underway to set aside 20 acres of airport property as a testing site for various photovoltaic technologies.
• In Boston, there's a wind power demonstration project underway at Massport's Logan International Airport, where 20 6-foot-tall wind turbines began whirring in 2008. "These aren't the tower-mounted wind turbines people think of," says airport spokesperson Richard Walsh. "These are roof-mounted models with a very pleasing design. In fact, they look like aircraft propellers."
The turbines are on the roof of the airport's main office building and produce a small amount of electricity. Walsh says that's fine with Massport officials because what they're really testing is how well the turbines stand up to Massachusetts weather. "The company has replaced about five turbines because they had some problems with rain getting into the mechanism. But we've had no issues with snow and now we're considering adding wind turbines to some other Massport facilities in the state."
Coming soon to an airport near you?
The success of these and other projects, and the availability of energy grants, incentive programs and some new stimulus money, is luring other airports around the country to cross the green line.
Los Angeles World Airports is exploring what to do with more than 17,000 acres of land it owns in Palmdale. One option on the table is to use several thousand acres to develop solar or wind energy-producing plants.
By mid-June, New York's Greater Rochester International Airport plans to have 22 wind turbines in operation. It's a move airport aviation director David Damelio thinks will be good for the earth and for the airport's bottom line. "We're estimating that in the first year we'll save 15% of our terminal energy costs. That will help us keep control of our operation costs so we can stay competitive with larger airports in our region." Next on the agenda: 50,000 square feet of rooftop solar panels.
In Oregon, Bern Case, the director of Rogue Valley International–Medford Airport, has been studying other airports' success with solar power and is ready for his facility to go green. "We're part of the second wave, and we're seeing some real opportunities." Case says the Medford airport is applying for grants to fund solar power projects that will not only generate power for the airport but also "make the meter turn backwards some of the time" and add power to the grid.
Harriet Baskas writes about travel etiquette for MSNBC.com and is the author of the airport guidebook Stuck at the Airport and a blog of the same name.