Virginia Should Electrify Its Public Airports
Airports and airplanes are among the largest sources of pollution in the United States despite the fact that roughly five million Americans live within 500 meters of an airport runway.
The global aviation industry is beginning to move toward electrification, and Virginia should electrify its public airports in order to support these developments.
Solar panels can be sited on airports, which could be used to power airplanes and ground vehicles at airports.
48.52 million metric tons of carbon were emitted by Virginia’s transportation sector in 2018, accounting for nearly half of the state’s carbon emissions. As the state transitions toward a clean energy grid, as mandated by the Clean Economy Act of 2020, the effort to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector simultaneously poses challenges and unique opportunities to build a clean energy future.
The General Assembly took action earlier this year to combat transportation related carbon emissions by passing a number of bills that incentivize the use of electric vehicles. These bills encourage the use of an innovative technology that will require the development of a vast charging network in order to be successful. While this may sound like a hurdle to overcome on paper, the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure can help bring clean energy jobs to Virginia. These jobs often come with high wages, meaning Virginians will enjoy economic benefits during the transition to clean energy.
It’s not just cars, though, that need to go electric in order to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. The Department of Environmental Quality has allocated over $24 million to the Port of Virginia in order to support electrification of port equipment. As one of the largest ports on the East Coast, electrification will help create jobs in the Hampton Roads region, and relieve communities in the area of pollution coming from the port equipment.
But that’s not all! Also part of the transportation sector, airplanes and airports are among the largest sources of pollution in the United States. In fact, according to the EPA, airplanes operating on leaded fuel are the largest remaining source of lead emissions in the country. When coupled with the fact that roughly five million Americans live within 500 meters of an airport runway, the electrification of airports and aircraft becomes a public health imperative.
According to a report released last month by Day One Project, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, airport electrification will not only help reduce pollution, but also create jobs and bolster the country’s transition to clean energy. The report calls for the electrification of not just airplanes and airports, but the entirety of the “aviation ecosystem,” which includes aircraft support equipment and the ground vehicles found at airports. Not only will electrification of the whole aviation ecosystem eliminate the threat of lead pollution, but it will also contribute to reductions in carbon emissions while creating clean energy jobs.
Siting solar panels and storage systems on public airports could further support electrification while also supporting clean energy resilience. Since they’re flat and free from obstruction of the sun, airports make for an ideal location to site solar panels, which can then be used to power airplanes and airport infrastructure. By siting clean energy storage systems on airports, airports can support communities by ensuring there’s a ready supply of energy to back up electrical grids during peak hours.
With 66 public airports throughout the state, Virginia should seek to electrify its airports, just as it is undergoing efforts to electrify the Port of Virginia and cars on the road. Beyond improving the health of communities located near airports and reducing carbon emissions, electrifying airports would bring jobs to the state and prepare the state for a future in which airplanes landing in Virginia may require electric infrastructure. Investing in transportation electrification early on will prepare Virginia to be a leader in a clean energy world.