Ground_Support_October_2020 - 17

Photo courtesy of ITW GSE

Photo courtesy of Advanced Charging Technologies

COVER STORY

Continuous Advancements
Some ground handlers and service providers
may be motivated to adopt green technology
through grants.
Many airports are striving to achieve
carbon accreditation, which could further
incentivize switching to alternative powered
equipment.
"Accreditations like these can act as incentives to help reduce emissions and create a
much cleaner and sustainable environment,"
Smart-Jewkes says. "Moreover, this is very
much on the agenda on a macro level, globally.
So, the incentive has been set universally that
all industry must strive to be more sustainable
and kinder to the environment."
"There are regional incentive programs
through state and local utilities to convert to
alternative fuel GSE," adds Nelson, noting his
company works with local utilities to acquire
any known incentives for customers.
Balensifer says that many U.S. states are
allocating funds through the Diesel Emissions
Reduction Act (DERA) or the Volkswagen
emissions scandal settlement to incentivize
removing diesels from airport ramps and
deploying electric vehicles.
"California's Air Resources Board and a
few other states have also put together incentives for off-road emissions reduction programs that would incentivize the industry to
use alternative GSE," he adds.
With ongoing interest in alternative energy
equipment continuing to grow, GSE manufacturers are continuing to invest in new
solutions.
"All our conversations with clients are
about sustainability," Barsoe explains.

"Vestergaard has long worked on solutions
to reduce the environmental footprint, from
reducing the amount of hot fluid needed in
a deicing operation to increasing efficiencies
in heating of fluids.
"And we have now taken that to new levels with our electric solutions," he continues.
"Vestergaard aims to provide a complete range
of fossil-free ground support equipment by
2030."
Similarly, ITW GSE's research and development team has applied customer feedback
to inspire new equipment designs.
Rocha says these factors have helped the
company develop its 400Hz and 28 VDC
eGPUs.
"We also continue to invest in new sustainable technologies as we see the future on
a battery-driven platform," he says.
According to Balensifer, JBT LEKTRO is
expending a large portion of its engineering efforts to improve the efficiency of the
company's electric options, in addition to
making it easier for this eGSE to be used
and maintained.
At ACT, the company has developed a line
of UL outdoor rated, high efficiency battery
chargers to charge electric GSE, utilizing lead
acid as well as lithium-ion batteries
"ACT Quantum GSE Chargers are designed
with Wi-Fi connectivity and can remotely
implement energy management programs
such as Peak Shaving, which reduces electrical usage during periods of maximum
demand for the power utility, and Demand
Response, which reduces electrical usage
temporarily based on change in the price of
power," says Nelson.

ACT can also enroll customers, when
applicable, to ACTenergy - a smart grid energy
management platform, to reduce strain on the
grid and reduce electrical consumption.
With changing technology, such as lithium-ion batteries becoming widely available
and more cost effective, more markets for
eGSE are opening up.
"By making Smart-Fast Chargers that
allow for optimal fast charging rates, we
have been able to lower the cost of battery
maintenance and replacement for our customers, lowering the total cost of ownership
for our customers," Crump points out. "Our
MVS system allows for internal power sharing amongst multiple charging ports to lower
the demand for expensive infrastructure
improvements."
PosiCharge can also provide full CAN
communication for lithium batteries and
the ability to offer a telemetry system that
allows customers to track charging events and
energy usage.
"The benefits to the environment are
self-explanatory. So, going green is the way
forward and it is better for airports and handlers to be ahead of the curve as we believe it
will be expected that the industry moves to
more sustainable alternatives anyway," says
Smart-Jewkes. "And we think after the recent
pandemic, there will be a moral obligation to
try to achieve a much greener airport operation worldwide.
"The sooner airports recognize that
fact, the sooner they can make headway to
embrace greener alternatives and get ahead
of the trend."

OCTOBER 2020

AviationPros.com

http://www.AviationPros.com

Ground_Support_October_2020

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