Electrical blackouts can cripple any airport, but when they strike a busy international hub, the consequences are even more chaotic. London Heathrow Airport (LHR) was left in the dark in March of this year when the power supply to the airfield was disrupted, cutting all electricity to the United Kingdom’s largest hub. The effect of that power loss impacted 270,000 flights in total.
Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is an example of how redundancy and diversified power supply systems can keep operations running smoothly when the grid is disrupted. The airfield has its own solar panels and natural gas generators on site to not only save money but keep a back-up “microgrid” ready at all times. The New York Times reported that on top of making the hub more resilient, it has saved $1 million a year on energy costs.
Improving US Airports
Despite the great results, Pittsburgh is a rare exception in the aviation world. Few airports have any kind of redundant power systems that come close to what Pittsburgh is running, and especially when it comes to large hubs. Christina Cassotis, chief executive of Pittsburgh International Airport, said to the New York Times:
“We did it because we wanted resiliency and redundancy. Airports are critical transportation infrastructure. We should be able to operate no matter what.”
Most airports have legacy generator systems that rely on fuel, which won’t last for a prolonged blackout without refilling. Some airports have started exploring modern, alternative redundancies like batteries and solar power, as Pittsburgh has, but the number that have updated their infrastructure is still low.
The United States is struggling to update obsolete and aging air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure for its airfields around the nation. Not only are new systems better than legacy equipment by a generational leap, but the existing facilities are showing their age more and more. Disruptions to ATC and core services can have snowball effects that create travel nightmares like LaGuardia Airport (LGA) experienced in May of this year.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is striving to make improvements under the Department of Transportation’s direction, but a widespread, systemic modernization program has yet to be implemented.
The Risk To American Airports
Hundreds of power outages lasting at least a few minutes occur at US airports every year. On top of blackouts from weather, the grid and related infrastructure simply fail due to age and overuse. The number of storms of all kinds every year is rising due to climate change, and seasons are getting more extreme with hotter summers and colder winters. The increasingly harsh conditions strain legacy power facilities that were not made to handle these demands, even when they were new.
A fire in an underground electrical system at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) left thousands of flyers stranded as the busiest airport in the world was left in the dark. This extreme example highlights the risk of inadequate power supply to national hubs, just like the debacle at LHR earlier this year. ATL’s blackout canceled 1,500 flights and stranded 30,000 passengers for 11 hours, according to NPR.
Heathrow had a similar level of disruption, with 1,300 flights canceled after its power station caught fire. The aftermath saw airlines based in the United Kingdom take hits on the stock market, especially those based at LHR. The projected cost to upgrade Heathrow to a system similar to Pittsburgh was estimated to be somewhere around $1.2 billion, which further eroded airline confidence, as the fear of costs being passed on was already a concern, given the high operating costs at LHR.
The Push To Modernize
Dr. Gregory Reed of the University of Pittsburgh wrote in the wake of the ATL disaster that the airport’s crisis spotlights a quietly growing systemic issue across the nation. Pittsburgh Airport began the process of upgrading as a direct result of the fire at ATL. Dr. Reed wrote this statement on the University’s engineering website as part of a larger response to the ATL incident:
“We take reliable electricity for granted in the United States. Electricity is the lifeblood of our socioeconomic heartbeat. Beyond major events that make the news, what happens when a circuit trips at work or a storm affects power to your home? Virtually all activity stops.”
Pittsburgh has put itself in the lead as every airport, from regional fields to international hubs, is working on its own enhanced power backups. A major outage in 2019 at another of the biggest airports in America and the world served to further illustrate the dire situation. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) lost power to three terminals and most of the landside transportation infrastructure, including traffic signals.
In this case, only about 50 flights were canceled or delayed. The already over-congested passenger spaces at LAX became a nightmare for passengers and staff to navigate. Emergency sirens and alarms blared as customers and workers tried to move to functional areas while the power was restored, according to KTLA. The several-hour-long partial blackout made what is already a severely over-capacity airport into a virtually unnavigable quagmire.
Denver International (DEN) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International (JFK) are pursuing similar redevelopment as Pittsburgh has done. Denver has multiple grid stations and solar power with backup batteries. JFK is investing $19 billion in an overhaul that will install new solar panels, batteries, and support the new Terminal 1 microgrid, according to the New York Times.
Pittsburgh’s Proactive Approach
The leadership at Pittsburgh International witnessed these operational disasters unfold around the world, as well as close to home when Baltimore International (BWI) had its own blackout crisis in 2017, and chose to take action. Developed in partnership with People’s Natural Gas, IMG Energy Solutions and CNX, the microgrid was constructed and funded at no cost to PIT, according to Blue Sky News.
PIT can operate in what has been dubbed “island mode” where the airfield is totally isolated from the grid. That capability proved its worth in March of this year, when two substation fires off-site forced the airport to disconnect. The airport continued to operate without disruption for the entire time it was off the grid, while the fires were extinguished and normal power restored.
The microgrid at PIT even repurposed wasted land by using the area over a closed landfill for the solar panel site. The five natural gas generators and solar systems can generate 23 megawatts of power, double the planned system that JFK is expected to build. The solar array at PIT includes nearly 10,000 panels in total, and the natural gas comes from wells that were drilled on-site within the airport campus.
PIT Leading The Industry
The microgrid at Pittsburgh International was fully operational in 2021 and remains the first of its kind around the world. In that time, the industry took notice. The system at PIT not only ensures that the airport is blackout-proof by providing a deep source of sustainable, off-grid energy, but saves operating costs and reduces emissions as well. Paul Hoback, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer, remarked in 2022:
“Carbon dioxide emissions have been cut by about 8.2 million pounds per year, and because the microgrid’s nearly 10,000 solar panels and five natural gas fired generators operate independently of the traditional grid, it gives the airport greater protection from outages and cyberattacks. We’ve lowered our energy costs, we’ve lowered our carbon output and we have guaranteed ourselves resiliency and redundancy. It continues to get noticed in the industry and other facilities have reached out to inquire how we did it.”
The long term cost savings, infrastructure reliability, and reduced carbon emissions is appealing to virtually every airport around the world, large or small. The need to sustain airfield operations in inclement weather or harsh climate conditions is a powerful motivator for other airports to adopt a system like PIT’s, as is the ever-increasing need to reduce the cost burden on airlines and the demand for regulatory compliance in terms of environmental impact.
The innovative and strategic project implemented at PIT was an industry first and sets the example for other airports. Not only is what PIT did achievable, but it is an extremely beneficial enhancement for every party invested in airfield operations, from airport stakeholders, to airlines, and customers themselves.
PIT Transformed
The airport is still undergoing a $1.4 billion terminal modernization project, dubbed “PIT Transformed.” The program will improve virtually every aspect of the customer experience across the entire airport. Starting at the very front of the landside, parking and campus navigation are undergoing upgrades with 6,000 spaces in a new garage and lot. A state-of-the-art space finder system will be installed, and electric vehicle chargers will be available.
Retail and dining spaces will be modernized with a new selection of vendors. A new connecting bridge will link security to the terminal area with a style that resembles the city’s own iconic gateway, the Fort Pitt Bridge. Security itself will be expanded and modernized to cut down on wait times.
Concourses will feature new amenities like seat chargers and informational displays, as well as more lavatory facilities. The interior will feature new LED lighting and updated decor throughout. Baggage claim is being updated to a more efficient and expedited system, with the transition to landside transportation being more spacious and streamlined.