Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) has highlighted the significance of its microgrid following a major power outage at London Heathrow Airport (LHR).
The incident at Heathrow was caused by a substation fire and led to the cancellation of over 1,300 flights. This incident arguably emphasises the importance of resilient energy infrastructure at major transport hubs worldwide.
In response to the outage, PIT has underscored the potential for its microgrid to prevent similar disruptions.
The fire at Heathrow occurred overnight on 21 March, forcing numerous flights to divert to other airports or return to their departure points. Power was gradually restored by Friday evening, and flight operations resumed over the weekend. However, the impact on airline schedules and passenger travel continued for several days. The British government has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.
This event marks one of the largest aviation disruptions in Europe since the 2010 volcanic ash crisis, which resulted in the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights over six days.
The Role of Microgrids in Airport Resilience
The Heathrow outage follows a recent power failure at Baltimore/Washington International Airport on 3 March, caused by a downed power line. That incident delayed more than 150 flights and led to multiple diversions. Such events reinforce the decision by PIT to implement its own microgrid, which became fully operational in July 2021.
PIT’s microgrid is powered by a combination of on-site natural gas wells and nearly 10,000 solar panels. Developed through a public-private partnership, the system ensures a continuous power supply, reducing reliance on the traditional electrical grid. The microgrid can operate in “island mode,” allowing PIT to maintain operations even if external power sources fail.
This feature proved critical on 4 March, when two substation fires outside the airport necessitated a temporary disconnection from the main grid. The microgrid maintained uninterrupted power across the entire airport campus, preventing operational disruptions.
PIT CEO Christina Cassotis said:Airports are part of global and national critical infrastructure, and these types of power disruptions are one of the reasons why we built our microgrid – to increase our resiliency against high-profile outages that can compromise safety and disrupt the industry.
Since its implementation, PIT’s microgrid has drawn interest from other aviation stakeholders, including airport operators and airlines. The airport has hosted visits from industry representatives exploring similar solutions, including officials from Houston Airport System and Southwest Airlines.
Meanwhile, other major airports have announced plans for microgrid installations. New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport is developing a 12-megawatt microgrid as part of its new Terminal One project. Airports in Atlanta, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and San Diego are also evaluating microgrid feasibility using a range of energy sources.
PIT’s microgrid, with a capacity of 23 megawatts, is powered by five natural gas generators and solar energy. The solar array is located on a closed landfill, making use of otherwise undevelopable land and aligning with the airport’s sustainability initiatives.
