Aviation emissions contribute sizable impacts to air quality in and around airports, with the sector accounting for nearly 8% of all transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions . Identifying solutions to electrify airport operations and prioritizing energy efficiency will be crucial to decarbonizing the U.S. transportation system through sustainable and clean energy sources.
“Rental car companies have announced aggressive fleet electrification goals, and roughly half of all rental cars originate from and are returned to airports,” said NREL’s Monte Lunacek, a senior data science researcher involved in the first phase of Athena who will also co-lead the subsequent effort.
“The ARIES research platform provides the unique ability to validate megawatt-scale solutions before any money is spent on actual buildout,” said John Farrell, NREL’s laboratory program manager for vehicle technologies. “ARIES provides the ability to ensure smart investments, as well as identify solutions that can be readily extended to other airport vehicle electrification initiatives.”
The spirit of partnership was contagious at the August kickoff meeting at DFW headquarters when NREL researchers met with several dozen partners and stakeholders to discuss Athena ZEV’s electrification opportunities for airports. Leaders from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, DFW, the American Car Rental Association, Airports Council International, and other organizations offered valuable insights about the related opportunities and challenges.