The Colorado Division of Aeronautics and NREL Are Studying Opportunities To Make Aviation
More Accessible, Efficient, and Sustainable Statewide
Amid the buzz of alternative aircraft and fuels, the Colorado Division of Aeronautics
has been swayed: New aviation technologies are a major opportunity for Coloradans,
and it is time to start planning their future. The Colorado Division of Aeronautics launched a collaboration with the U.S. Department
of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to study the best investments and major policy considerations to carry alternative
aviation forward in Colorado.
“The Division of Aeronautics is proud to once again be a national pioneer in helping
leverage new transportation technology for the benefit of all Coloradans. This collaboration
with NREL will help us continue to innovate and help prepare our public-use airport
system for the next generation of alternatively powered aircraft,” said Dave Ulane,
director of the Colorado Division of Aeronautics.
The next generation of aircraft is a clear departure from the past. New aircraft can
be battery-powered, autonomous, fueled with hydrogen or sustainable aviation fuel,
and have exotic designs. These technologies currently hover at mixed levels of readiness,
but their momentum has captured the attention of the Colorado Division of Aeronautics,
which is the first U.S. state transit organization to formally study their deployment.
Through the 18-month study, informed by a broad stakeholder advisory committee, the
Colorado Division of Aeronautics expects to determine how such technologies can make
Colorado aviation more accessible, efficient, and sustainable, and to serve as a foundation
for other states to approach these new technologies.
Study To Synthesize Core Pillars of Sustainable Aviation
In 2022, NREL published “A Roadmap Toward a Sustainable Aviation Ecosystem,” which elaborates on three interrelated pillars of fuels, infrastructure, and aircraft.
For NREL, the present study will be the first opportunity to synthesize these pillars
and apply them to the needs of millions of people across the state of Colorado. NREL
will leverage its deep bench of R&D, including its recently expanded efforts to develop
sustainable aviation fuels, infrastructure, and aircraft design. This study will combine all of these research areas, and with Colorado leading the
way, it could be a model for other states to follow suit.
“This study seeks to identify the challenges and opportunities that can come with
overhauling the way people move regionally,” said Nicholas Grue, an NREL researcher
in energy security and resilience. “NREL will lead the technical analysis by evaluating
regional air mobility in coordination with researchers at NASA and Georgia Tech and
also facilitate discussions between the Colorado Division of Aeronautics, regional
airports, and regulatory and industry stakeholders.”
Electric, Aerial Commutes for Coloradans
One near-term target for future aviation is to expand opportunities for regional mobility through electrified aircraft, in which flights would cover hundred-mile distances that suit the range of battery-powered
planes. This study will reveal how regional air mobility could engage Colorado’s 76
public-use airports to make transit more convenient for all citizens. The airports—from
high-traffic Denver International Airport to others located on rugged mountainous
areas and open prairies—service communities that could see out-of-town travel become
much more accessible.
NREL’s research team will analyze how Coloradans currently move throughout the state
and how this demand might align with airport capacity. With an eye toward reducing
costs, environmental impacts, and transit equity, the researchers will employ route
optimization methods to recommend the best investments. Such investments will also
be contingent on the supply of power and fuel as well as local regulations.
mobility network, servicing new routes in a state with many remote communities. Photo from tellurideairport.com
Infrastructure To Accommodate New Flights and Aircraft
NREL and Colorado’s pioneering analysis will notably focus on recommendations for
updating infrastructure to allow new aviation options. Battery-propelled planes may
add significant loads to electrical systems and could require increased power supply,
as determined in a previous study evaluating regional air mobility in the mid-Atlantic region. Likewise, sustainable fuels must be sourced intentionally. While fuels could come
from nearby feedstocks, new processing and storage infrastructure may be required. The new study will analyze
airports on a site-by-site basis to determine the most cost-effective and practical
investments.
Another important consideration is investing in cybersecurity. NREL has studied the
cybersecurity challenges awaiting future airport infrastructure and found that future airports will contain a much greater number of interconnected
assets that could pose cyber risks. Between ground vehicles, electric planes, charging
stations, and multiple companies connecting to the network, airports may need a renewed
validation of cybersecurity.
“In a previous study evaluating regional air mobility using electrified aircraft, we identified that in all cases, smaller regional or local airports, especially,
would require upgrades to their electrical distribution systems,” Grue said. That
study found benefits from the deployment of photovoltaic systems and battery energy storage systems at airports to supplement power delivery while aircraft are recharging their batteries.
“Understanding the impacts of how upgraded electrical distribution systems, solar,
and battery energy systems can benefit airport operators, airport tenants, and nearby
communities will be critical to ensure the opportunities and challenges are well understood,”
Grue continued. “The cybersecurity of these potentially high-megawatt power systems
will be important to ensure safe, resilient, and secure operations both on the ground
and in flight.”
Regulations, Incentives, and Local Awareness for Alternative Aviation
NREL researchers will also frame their analysis around existing regulations and policies,
such as noise constraints, environmental impacts, and proximity to communities. These
issues will determine which sites could accommodate flight training for new aircraft,
for example, without causing excessive disturbance. Additionally, the study will consider
and recommend emerging technical standards and possible state and federal incentives
that could financially support this aviation transition.
Above all, the forthcoming study is focused on finding the most practical and sensible
solutions for all Coloradans, including ways to reduce emissions in the air and on
the ground, improve transit, and support the state’s economy. The Colorado Airport
System currently supports over 345,000 jobs, and any plans analyzed in this study
will also consider the interests and opportunities for workforce development and the
communities.
“All of this will make air transportation in Colorado more efficient, more equitable,
and accessible, with reduced environmental impacts,” Ulane said.
Learn more about sustainable aviation research at NREL. Also, sign up for NREL’s quarterly transportation and mobility research newsletter, Sustainable Mobility Matters, to stay current on the latest news.
