Schiphol, the energy transition, and the future of aviation

Airports are busier than ever. A failing conveyor belt, communication system, security lane, taxiway, solar panel, or other essential infrastructure might not only cause significant inconvenience for hundreds of thousands of vacationers, business travelers, and aviation staff, but could also lead to life-threatening situations. I am the head installation supervisor at Schiphol and also the manager of a team of installation supervisors involved in various projects.

Airports are divided into ‘landside’ and ‘airside’ areas. The landside is the area accessible to travelers and visitors, housing infrastructure such as baggage conveyors, security gates, parking systems, and catering facilities. The airside encompasses all areas only open to airport staff and departing, arriving, and transferring passengers, such as piers and duty-free shops. Both sides have low-voltage and high-voltage installations. A large part of my work involves ensuring the electrical safety of these installations.

Simultaneity factor

Electrification is a very important topic at Schiphol. For example, aircraft parking spaces are equipped with shore power systems (400 Hz), reducing the reliance on kerosene-powered auxiliary engines and diesel generators. Ground Power Units (GPUs) powered by electricity replace older diesel versions, and fuel generators are replaced by new electric versions (e-GPUs).

Electrical installations at airports face the same challenges as installations in the rest of the Netherlands: capacity limits are quickly reached. When designing and sizing an electrical installation, it is important to account for ‘simultaneity’: the phenomenon where multiple electrical devices or systems within the same installation are used at the same time. By considering this, we ensure the electrical system can handle the maximum expected load without becoming overloaded. In calculating the simultaneity factor, it is taken into account that not all devices will always operate at full capacity simultaneously.

However, where we previously saw a simultaneity of around 50 percent, we are now heading toward 80 or 90 percent. Installations are being used more intensively, and if this is not continuously monitored and managed, it can lead to incidents. One way to manage this wisely is to check whether the electrical installation truly delivers maximum capacity everywhere. If efficiency is at 50 or 60 percent, while the standard indicates it should be around 90, there is a significant loss. According to European standards, efficiency should even approach 92 percent. With HyTEPS, we map out the efficiencies and look for ways of increasing capacity. We also carefully monitor and avoid reactive power.

Ohm’s Law

Because installations are used much more intensively, and some parts are ageing, there is always a risk of failure or burnout at a given location. We now frequently have to explain to people why something can’t work or why it doesn’t work. This can be challenging, as electricity is a complicated topic, even if you have prior knowledge. Therefore, it’s important to guide users and consumers by explaining how things work, to bring about a behavioral change. In the past, you’d simply plugged in a device, and it would work. But now, we need to explain that the availability and quality of electricity are not guaranteed and depend on many factors. Suddenly, we’re explaining what Power Quality issues are and the workings of Ohm’s law. So today, we also have something of an educational mission!

Involvement from the beginning

Previously, the Installation Supervisor was primarily responsible for electrical safety. However, we have gained more responsibilities, including ensuring a reliable and efficient energy system. We need to guarantee operational continuity as well as safety, which can sometimes introduce dilemmas. Although there are many different interests and positions, safety must always remain the priority.

For the installation supervisor, it is essential to be involved in projects from the very beginning. That way, we can set up and manage installations properly. Sometimes, the installation supervisor is only involved when an installation is almost operational. Only then is our knowledge and expertise fully utilized. If this happens earlier, many problems could be avoided. For example, if a security system with complex power electronics is installed somewhere at Schiphol, it can create harmonics elsewhere on the grid—even if all the equipment used meets the applicable standards. This has negatively impacts on efficiency.

Cumulative effects

Schiphol is a very large airport, and everything here takes place on a vast scale. For instance, we don’t just install one charging station in a parking lot; we install dozens or hundreds at a time. A charging station like that may have every CE marking, but it will still add a small amount of pollution to the network. That may seem insignificant on its own, but when combined, all these tiny amounts become a significant problem for the grid.

As soon as someone plans to use electrical equipment, our team gets involved. We study the grid at the specific location where they want to connect something, and after installation, we conduct measurements to assess grid quality. In this way, we know in advance whether it makes sense to install active filters, for example. In this way, we stay compliant with all standards and regulations.

Mapping the demand

We have mapped out the current and expected energy consumption at Schiphol. This turns out to be so large that we’re going building a 150 kV station, meaning a doubling or tripling of energy capacity. That energy also needs to be distributed across the entire site, requiring our energy grid to be adapted and upgraded.

Unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t have enough energy available for everyone in the Netherlands. In the future, the risks could be even greater, especially as we increasingly transition to natural energy sources, which have fluctuating yields.

Balancing supply and demand

Balancing supply and demand dynamically will become increasingly important. I believe there will be a growing demand for energy management systems, even at Schiphol. This way, we can determine who will temporarily receive more or less energy at a given moment. This isn’t done enough at present.

Currently, we use about 80 MW at Schiphol, and within ten years, we might grow to 160 MW. By 2050 or 2060, we could even reach 500 MW. Even if grids are upgraded in a few years, capacity will still be a relevant issue, especially if we see a fivefold increase in current consumption.

International challenges

Airports in other countries face similar challenges. They want to electrify extensively, too. There is even experimentation with electrifying airplanes, which could be a fascinating development. I imagine that in the future, electricity will be used for short flights, while hydrogen will power longer ones. Then we will have to think carefully about whether to produce and store hydrogen here at Schiphol or elsewhere. This will happen gradually, so we will need infrastructure for kerosene, hydrogen, and electricity-powered aircraft simultaneously.

Technical staff and ongoing education

Currently, 400 people work on the electrical installations at Schiphol. However, one of the major electrotechnical challenges in aviation, as in other sectors, is finding enough staff and ensuring they stay up to date with the latest developments. This means continuous retraining and upskilling in new techniques.

With a shortage of personnel, it becomes difficult to take people out of operations regularly to train them. We want to prepare people for the future, but also need time to train them. The work we do here is specific to aviation and also complex due to the size of the installations and the number of connected parties.

That’s why we are building our own training center at Schiphol. There, we can efficiently train new employees, and experienced staff can continue to develop. We want everyone to be familiar with the latest techniques and systems and have as many certified staff members as possible. Everyone can try to keep up with developments on their own, but sitting in class together allows us to learn a lot from each other.

Identifying risks

Fifty years ago, we could follow a checklist step by step to see if everything met certain standards. Now, it’s a much more dynamic and less straightforward process. By making everything as clear as possible, we can identify risks and take concrete steps to reduce them. Ultimately, we want to work as much as possible in a risk-based manner. This helps ensure that installations meet all standards, are highly reliable, and that technicians can work on them safely.

Extensive measurements and analyses play an important part in our risk assessments. If we want to make changes to installations or identify potential problems, we can substantiate this to management with reliable, accurate data. The role of data is becoming increasingly important, but you need to analyze it intelligently and present your findings clearly. If a problem is detected somewhere in the network, the cause could be located elsewhere entirely. Without data and insights, it would be much more difficult to link causes and effects.

Data also helps coordinate activities on the grid with other users, so you don’t all run tests on the same day. We may need to work much more with batteries much more in the future. When there is excess capacity, we can store energy to use later. But that’s not the complete solution—you have to combine several smart solutions.