A novel way to generate energy is being trialed at Dallas Love Field airport as it seeks to improve its sustainability.
In collaboration with JetWind Power, the initiative centers on the gusts that are created from airplanes taking off being converted into electricity.
DAL is taking #sustainability to new heights through an innovative partnership with JetWind Power Corporation to capture wind blasts from aircraft & convert them into environmentally friendly electricity. Read more about the revolutionary technology here: https://t.co/lGjwSFJgNk pic.twitter.com/KECHhS2iEz
— Dallas Love Field (@DallasLoveField) July 25, 2023
Introduced in 2017 at the Airports Going Green Conference in Dallas, JetWind Power's technology harnesses the power of human-made wind via turbines. In other settings, the energy-capturing pod can also be used to make use of the wind created by trains and vehicles.
In a statement, founder of JetWind Power Corporation Dr. T. O. Souryal said: "This sustainable technology will transform the transportation and energy industries, not just aviation, and it's been a pleasure working with Dallas Love Field's forward-thinking team throughout this process."
🗣️ Which of the following sustainable changes would make you most likely to choose a particular airline?
🔘 Using cleaner fuel ⛽
🔘 Reducing in-flight waste 🗑️
🔘 Making it easy to choose low-emissions itineraries 📋
🔘 I don't pay attention to sustainability when I fly ✈️
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
At Dallas, the turbines are placed next to the control tower, allowing operators to determine how much energy can be captured and if the turbines are durable enough to withstand the force of the wind.
According to Axios, Dallas Love Field said the electricity that the pods produce will be used to charge electric vehicles at the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control tower.
When speaking at the Airports Going Green Conference in 2017, Souryal said that one Gen5 turbine, if it were located at Los Angeles International Airport, has the potential to produce 300 megawatt hours per year, and the financial savings achieved in terms of reduced electricity costs would see the unit pay for itself after 12 months.
According to the International Energy Agency, aviation was responsible for 2% of global energy-related carbon emissions in 2022. The organization has called for the development of low-emission fuels to minimize this figure.
Finding ways to offset the carbon emitted from aircraft is a way to improve sustainability and prevent global heating, and capturing wind energy from planes and using it to create energy is an innovative concept to reduce an airport's carbon footprint.
In 2021, the United States government set a goal for the aviation industry to achieve net-zero operations by 2050. The technology from JetWind Power will certainly aid that ambition, but Dallas Love Field is so far the only airport in the world to be utilizing the invention.
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