Ground power at airports
With the directive on grants for the promotion of alternative technologies for the climate and environmentally friendly supply of aircraft with ground power at airports, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) supports the defossilisation of the airport campus.
During aircraft layovers at airports, the required electrical power is often provided at remote positions by the auxiliary power unit in the aircraft or mobile ground power units operated with diesel generators. In particular, the resulting greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions have a negative impact on the environment and the climate, as well as the local air quality. By using alternative technologies, such as those based on batteries or hydrogen and direct current, the electricity demand during the layover at the airport can be covered, greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions can be avoided, and noise pollution can be minimized at the same time.
The ground power directive is intended to grant investment subsidies for the procurement of mobile and stationary, environmentally friendly ground power units for the supply of aircraft and the charging or refueling infrastructure required for operation. In addition, the directive aims, via the R strand, to further develop existing technical solutions, taking into account the learning effects from market activation, in order to be able to offer users the most efficient and attractive products possible in the medium term. Together, this should make an important contribution to greater environmental and climate protection.
An evaluation of the previous funding activities can be found in the following presentation:
Publication
The market study commissioned by NOW contains an overview of the technical aspects, market availability, cost structure and conversion challenges of emission-free ground power systems, as well as the status of the conversion at German airports.