Pittsburgh airport thwarts outages, cuts costs by generating its own power
The recent power outage at London's Heathrow Airport stands in contrast to U.S. airports in cities like Pittsburgh that have shifted to on-site power generation, saving money and bolstering resilience with a mix of energy sources that includes renewables.
Niraj Chokshi reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- Pittsburgh International Airport has been using a microgrid powered by natural gas and solar panels for almost four years, saving about $1 million annually.
- Many airports are exploring on-site electricity generation and storage to reduce emissions and prepare for climate change-related disruptions.
- Power outages at airports are relatively common, with 321 incidents lasting at least five minutes reported at two dozen U.S. airports between 2015 and 2022.
Key quote:
“We did it because we wanted resiliency and redundancy. Airports are critical transportation infrastructure. We should be able to operate no matter what.”
— Christina Cassotis, chief executive of Pittsburgh International Airport
Why this matters:
As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, airports are increasingly exposed to power outages that can paralyze operations, delay emergency response, and ripple across supply chains. Microgrids, which can operate independently from the central power grid, offer a safeguard. Many of these systems now include solar panels, battery storage, and sometimes even wind turbines, reducing both emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
Learn more: Local microgrids are reshaping energy resilience and sustainability
