Tools, metrics and timing for airport decarbonization
Sean Casey, Decarbonization Technical Lead in the United States shares his thoughts on “Tools, Metrics and Timing for Airport Decarbonization.” His in-depth look examines the frameworks needed to support airports navigate evolving regulatory pressures, operational needs, and decarbonization mandates all while ensuring reliable and resilient service.
The aviation sector stands at the forefront of one of the biggest challenges — how to grow and evolve while reducing its environmental impact. For airport operators, that means grappling with growing passenger demands, aging infrastructure, and an increasingly complex web of energy, carbon and resiliency targets.
Our team has been partnering with the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) to create a comprehensive decarbonization roadmap for two of its airports: Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport and Martin State Airport. This roadmap supports both MAA’s priorities: to achieve compliance with state and federal climate legislation while preparing their infrastructure for future passenger and airline growth.
Our challenge was to help MAA to meet ambitious climate targets, including Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act goals of a 60 percent greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by 2031 and net zero by 2045; while simultaneously accommodating terminal growth and enhancing system resilience.
Tools that visualize action
Our aim was to help MAA make sense of a very complex picture. To do that, we created several in-house energy and emissions modeling tools, including:
- Central energy plant analysis tool (CEPA), which allows us to rapidly simulate various plant configurations and identify cost-effective, lower-carbon solutions that align with future electrification goals.
- Microgrid modeling tools, which allow us to model the performance of on-site solar power, battery storage, diesel backup generation, and their ability to collectively maintain critical operations during grid outages. Beyond resilience, we explored how a microgrid could also reduce energy costs by selling power back to the utility when it’s economically viable.
- Digital twin technology, which shows exactly where new energy systems (solar PV arrays, battery storage, future electrified central plants) are located. This not only helps with internal communication and stakeholder buy-in but also serves as a planning tool that ties infrastructure improvements directly to capital investment decisions.
Our aim was to help MAA make sense of a very complex picture — using digital tools to tie infrastructure improvements directly to capital investment decisions, while identifying cost-effective, lower-carbon solutions.
Metrics that inform decisions
Metrics are the backbone of any credible roadmap, and for MAA, we focused on three primary dimensions: 1) energy use, 2) GHG emissions, and 3) cost.
One of the most important strategies we had to deploy was the transition away from fossil fuels by electrifying legacy natural gas systems. This helped shift emissions from Scope 1 (on-site combustion) to Scope 2 (purchased electricity). At the same time, we modeled future electricity market scenarios in the PJM grid (which includes Maryland), where electricity prices are forecast to rise by as much as 30 percent. This dual focus allowed us to balance emissions reduction with cost resilience.
We also provided clarity on Scope 3 emissions, particularly those from airline operations, providing strategies for how MAA can influence reductions through collaboration with carriers, sustainable aviation fuel adoption, and more efficient airfield and gate operations.
We helped MAA build a data-driven roadmap by balancing emissions reduction with cost resilience by electrifying legacy systems, modeling future energy costs, and addressing Scope 3 emissions through collaboration and operational efficiency.
Timelines that anchor implementation
We mapped each target to specific, timed actions and bundled them into short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives that integrated with MAA’s existing capital improvement plans. In effect, we transformed decarbonization from ambition into an embedded part of their growth strategy.
We helped MAA identify which projects they should advance now (e.g. electrifying existing systems, installing solar and storage) and which could be phased in later, ensuring each investment was justified not only environmentally, but financially and operationally.
Through a clear, actionable framework, we helped MAA move from planning to progress, with every decarbonization initiative supporting both their sustainability goals and long-term operational success.
For more information about our portfolio decarbonization and climate resilience services visit: Portfolio Decarbonization and Climate Resilience