Airports as Energy Nodes (AENodes) Project Report

Aviation is experiencing an influx of electrified aircraft in the advanced air mobility (AAM) space. The goal of Airports as Energy Nodes (AENodes) is to evaluate the impact of AAM and other advanced aircraft adoption growth on the electrical system of existing small to medium hub regional airports to better prepare them for the future while also enhancing resiliency and helping surrounding communities. AAM small passenger air service encompasses vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), general aviation (GA) and flight training, and nine to thirty passenger conventional aircraft for regional air mobility (RAM) applications all of which include electrical, hybrid, or hydrogen powered varieties. Some challenges that AENodes is trying to address include how to utilize existing airport infrastructure to meet the energy needs of AAM growth in a way that is robust to aid in the growth of AAM while also leveraging any airport-hosted energy assets for the surrounding community in emergency situations.