Port of Oakland Commissions 12-Megawatt-Hour Solar and Battery Microgrid at Oakland Airport to Power Electric Tarmac Fleet

Aviation electrical engineers with the Port of Oakland and clean-power specialists from East Bay Community Energy / Ava Community Energy commissioned a 3-megawatt photovoltaic carport array paired with a 12-megawatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery microgrid substation on Sunday morning at Oakland International Airport (OAK) along Earhart Road at North Field and Terminal 1. Directly tied into the airport's 12.47-kilovolt distribution loop, the renewable microgrid powers forty-eight new high-speed DC charging ports for battery-electric baggage tugs, belt loaders, and pushback tractors as well as gate-mounted 400-hertz aircraft ground power and pre-conditioned air (PCA) units.

Whenever commercial passenger jets park at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 gates, plugging directly into 400-hertz gate power and chilled-water PCA hoses allows pilots to shut down kerosene-burning onboard auxiliary power units (APUs) immediately upon block-in. Simultaneously, ramp crews now recharge zero-emission ground-support equipment (GSE) during twenty-five-minute aircraft turnarounds using stored midday solar energy rather than spiking evening utility feeder demand.

During regional transmission grid disturbances or severe winter storms, the 12-megawatt-hour battery bank can island critical airfield perimeter lighting, passenger terminal security checkpoints, and airfield stormwater pump stations for up to six hours without firing backup diesel generators. Replacing fossil-fueled ramp equipment and diesel standby testing eliminates more than 2,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year along the Oakland shoreline.

The $14.8 million airport electrification microgrid was financed through a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Voluntary Airport Low Emissions (VALE) grant, California Energy Commission funds, and Port of Oakland aviation revenues. Travelers can review airport sustainability milestones on the Oakland International Airport Official Portal.