Taylor, J. (2023, November 22). Sacramento International Airport Working Toward Greener Future that includes electric planes. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/sacramento-international-airport-working-toward-greener-future-that-includes-electric-planes/
There is an increasing number of people traveling by airplane, and Sacramento International Airport is cutting back on carbon emissions. The planning manager of the airport, Glen Rickelton, reports on the technology that reduces emissions when planes idle. By transitioning jetbridges to preconditioned air, “when the airplanes come to the gate, they can hook up to that and have power.” Because of this technology, plane engines do not run when idling. It is not clear, but they have also been looking towards a future of using electric planes. In the meantime, solar panels power more than a third of the airport, and shuttle busses are being converted from gas to electric. These strategies all add up to reduce emissions in Sacramento, which has severe air pollution.
The transportation industry (in this case, especially the flying industry) is one of the leading causes of carbon emissions. It is essential to reduce carbon emissions where we can for now (the idling part), but the real problem is the flying itself. It’s good that the airport is working towards electric planes, but when will it happen? I wonder what the progress with that is, and what specifically Sacramento International Airport is doing to work towards it. Regardless, the current progress is important, especially the ability to power more than a third of the airport with renewable energy.
I totally agree that the current progress is very important, but the essential question is when it will happen. With the amount of carbon emissions that flying can emit, when should we start looking at alternative sources of transportation. This also makes me wonder about private airplane services and how they impact the environment. What do you think are the biggest questions when it comes to making airfare electric?
I had no idea airport companies were beginning to transition to airplanes powered by renewable energies, but I find it very interesting. This is going to be such a big breakthrough since planes are one of the biggest modes of transport in our world. I wonder what other public transport is going to have a similar breakthrough and go completely electric. How big of a difference will this affect carbon emission levels?
Your point about the necessity of addressing the carbon emissions associated with flying itself is crucial. While improvements in airport operations and ground transportation are important, the development and adoption of electric planes represent a pivotal step towards truly sustainable aviation. What do you think are the main challenges or barriers that need to be overcome to accelerate the adoption of electric aviation on a broader scale?