Iron Flow Technology Will Accelerate Aviation Decarbonisation to Improve Air Quality

January 26, 2023

Schiphol Airport
By Alan Greenshields, Director EMEA

Air transportation is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize. Many strategies and technologies will be required to enable airlines and airport operators to eliminate carbon emissions while maintaining safe and reliable air travel. While Sustainable Aviation Fuels are currently under development and have the potential to eventually reduce emissions from planes while in the air, on the ground, decarbonization can be largely achieved using technologies that are commercially available today.  

Last week, ESS announced a partnership with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the second largest airport in mainland Europe, to provide an iron flow battery for a pilot project that will demonstrate the key role that long-duration energy storage can play to reduce carbon and diesel emissions in air-side ground operations.  

We are proud to partner with the Royal Schiphol Group, a recognized leader in sustainability and innovation with ambitious plans to achieve emissions-free and waste-free operations at their airports by 2030. ESS’ iron flow technology is ideally suited for this application due to its superior environmental and safety performance and ability to provide cost-effective, resilient and sustainable energy storage to enable the retirement of fossil fuel generators on the ground.  

The project will use an ESS Energy Warehouse to recharge Electric Ground Power Units (E-GPUs), mobile battery systems that provide power to planes while parked at the gate. These battery storage systems will replace the mobile diesel ground generators used today, demonstrating the key role that LDES will play in decarbonizing airport operations and enabling the electrification of everything.  

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol also leads the TULIPS consortium, a collaboration of 29 airports, airlines, knowledge institutes and industrial partners which facilitates sustainable aviation in Europe. Funded by the EU as part of the European Green Deal and started in 2022, the consortium plans to fast-track the rollout of sustainable technologies in the aviation sector to deliver climate-neutral aviation by 2050. By employing long-duration energy storage to decarbonize their ground operations, Schiphol is showing the way forward for airports across Europe and worldwide. 

Links to third-party articles and/or websites are for general information purposes only and the content of any third-party article or website is solely the responsibility of the author, owner, operator or publisher of that article and/or website. Views expressed in third-party articles and/or websites reflect the opinion of the author, owner, operator or publisher as of the date of publication, and not necessarily those of ESS Tech, Inc. ESS Tech, Inc. has not independently verified such content, makes no warranties, representations or undertakings relating to such content, and bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of any external site or for that of subsequent links. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. You are encouraged to read and evaluate the privacy and security policies on the specific site you are entering. ESS Tech, Inc. disclaims any loss, damage and any other consequences resulting directly or indirectly from or relating to your access to the third-party website or any information you may provide or any transaction conducted on or via the third-party website or the failure of any information, goods or services posted or offered at the third-party website or any error, omission or misrepresentation on the third-party website or any computer virus arising from or system failure associated with the third-party website.