San Antonio to host sustainable aviation hub

An innovation centre for new aviation energy solutions will be created in San Antonio to promote energy technologies to help decarbonise the sector.

The project will pursue research and development in battery technologies and battery storage solutions, enhanced electric vehicle charging, and power-related technologies.

Partners include the US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the City of San Antonio Aviation Department and City Public Service Board (CPS Energy), and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).

The agreement marks the first time an international airport will work together with ARPA-E to accelerate the development and deployment of new energy technologies.

“We are proud to be a part of this innovative initiative that will ultimately benefit the San Antonio community,” said Rudy Garza, President and CEO of CPS Energy. “[We] continue to look for ways to participate in electrification projects, especially for critical public infrastructure like the San Antonio International Airport. Projects like these furthers our commitment to finding new and sustainable technologies to enable our growing community and we are excited about the opportunity to work with our community partners to do so.”

The hope of the MoU is to lay the groundwork to enable future electrified airports.

Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports, City of San Antonio Aviation Department said: “This is a unique partnership designed to promote transformative energy technologies and it propels the City of San Antonio’s Aviation Department to the centre of innovation. This is an exciting time to be part of the Aviation Team and planning for the future of aviation and our airports.”

UTSA and CPS Energy are also working to leverage a city-scale grid digital twin to evaluate operational efficacy, ensure seamless interoperability, fortify cybersecurity protocols, and assess performance metrics of electric/hybrid aircrafts.

Image: Sean Pavone | Dreamstime.com