What’s it all about
This blog is a collection of information related to my ongoing masters research studies, the topic of which is “Sustainable Energy for the future Airport Metropolis”. The idea is that airports are grower larger and larger and diversifying their operations into hotels, golf courses, shopping centres and so on. The Airport City is born, no longer just a transport hub serving the area around it. QUT is one of the numerous partners in a major research project underway called Airport Metropolis: Managing the Interfaces.
What I am seeking to do through my research is investigate how software tools can be used by airport operators to increase the sustainability of their energy use. I started with a desktop study and literature review into the background of both sustainable energy and the energy use characteristics of large airports. I also conducted studies into some of the current software tools that may assist in this area, such as RETScreen, LEAP and Homer.
My background study confirmed that solar and cogeneration (combined heat and power, and also trigeneration) are two candidates from the renewable energy and energy efficiency areas that are more likely than not to be of benefit to a majority of large airports around the world.
I have started development of a prototype pre-feasibility tool that will allow airport operators to estimate the solar potential at their sites by integrating a GIS-based front-end with an energy and weather model at the back-end. I am using Google Maps for the front-end and an early version can be accessed here. More on this through various blog posts down the track…