subject: Is Ground Support Equipment Going Zero Emission? [print this page] When you think of greening the aviation industry, you probably think of efforts to reduce the use of jet fuel. But airplanes aren't the only energy-intensive machinery at the airport.
There is also a movement underway to steer ground support equipment away from fossil fuels.
What is ground support equipment anyway?
Ground support equipment refers to:
- airplane pushback tractors
- baggage handling carts
- utility trucks
- ground power units
- belt loaders
- light duty maintenance trucks
- forklifts
How is ground support equipment going green?
In the past decade, with the help of government and industry partners, airports around the world have experimented with three main technologies to replace diesel- or gasoline-powered ground support equipment:
- hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines
- electric-powered ground support equipment
- hydrogen fuel cell engines
Examples of ground support equipment clean energy demonstration projects
The project: Montreal's Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport has been a leader in testing green ground support equipment. The project, called H2 Port, is exploring hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels.
As part of the project, the engines of existing conventional baggage tractors were replaced with hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines.
One obstacle: There is an issue as to how to conveniently store hydrogen at airports as it not as dense as other fuels.
The project: In California, a state aviation board partnered with a private company to design a battery-powered pushback tractor. This kind of ground support equipment is used to push aircraft away from the gate at departure time.
One obstacle: Some older airports don't have the electrical capacity to recharge electric vehicles. Some newer airports, however, like Denver International Airport were built with electric ground support equipment in mind. (Denver International Airport also generates the most solar power of any American airport.)
More on electrification: The Philadelphia International Airport has an electric powered fleet of tugs. The airport houses this fleet in a building that has received LEED Gold status, a green building standard. The building boasts abundant natural light and was partly built using salvaged or recycled materials. The airport offset the extra cost of electric vehicles by applying for government funding.
The project: Hamburg Airport has also experimented with clean energy for ground support equipment. It has used hydrogen-powered fuel cell baggage towing trucks.
One obstacle: Fuel cell technology requires a finer, higher, laboratory grade of hydrogen than internal combustion technology.
The ground support equipment industry has made major advances towards reducing vehicle emissions in the past industry. One wonders why these initiatives haven't received more public attention.
