Development principles of Pirkkala airport environment as microgrid solution

Abstract

The increasing number of airports pursuing sustainability goals through electrification faces challenges when the existing electrical network cannot meet demands. In an effort to reduce the carbon footprint, airports need to take into account the environmental impact of the entire electrification process. It is, therefore, crucial to consider how electricity is generated. To minimize emissions and reduce the carbon footprint of airport operations, it's important to use renewable energy sources that are compatible with the airport's specific regulations. It might be challenging to meet the demand for electricity at all times when renewable energy sources (RES) like solar or wind power don't supply energy consistently or predictably. Batteries are frequently combined with RES to improve the system's overall efficiency in order to solve this problem. Properly forecasting future load patterns is crucial in determining the appropriate size and capacity of a renewable energy system that combines photovoltaic solar panels with battery energy storage systems. The present study investigates the feasibility of electrifying an airport using a microgrid solution that includes photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The study examines the energy flow of the airport under five different scenarios, which include the existing load, the addition of electric aircraft, the addition of E-bus load, the addition of electric ground handling equipment (GHE) loads, and the addition of electric vehicles. To accomplish this, we provide modeling and simulation to incorporate electrified loads that will be present in the future. Moreover, a pre-built simulator based on cost minimization is used to optimize the sizing of the PV and BESS components of the microgrid solution. Energy flow analysis, which gauges the amount of energy received and given to the network, is the foundation for the economic analysis of the microgrid solution. On the basis of this study, the annual cost of electricity purchase is then determined and compared.