Copenhagen Airport: a Lighthouse for the introduction of sustainable aviation solutions for the future

Project Information

ALIGHT

Grant agreement ID: 957824

DOI

10.3030/957824

Project closed

EC signature date 4 September 2020

Start date 1 November 2020

End date 31 October 2025

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 15 269 718,32

EU contribution

€ 11 957 081,00

Coordinated by

KOBENHAVNS LUFTHAVNE AS
Denmark

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ALIGHT (Copenhagen Airport: a Lighthouse for the introduction of sustainable aviation solutions for the future)

Reporting period: 2022-05-01 to 2023-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

A Lighthouse for the Introduction of Sustainable Aviation Solutions for the Future (ALIGHT) is an EU Horizon2020 innovation partnership with the objective of showcasing the future of sustainable aviation. In the project period from 2020-2024, ALIGHT will address the urgent global need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and other air emissions. This will be done with focus on two separate workstreams; ) the supply, implementation, integration and smart use of sustainable aviation fuel, and 2) the development and implementation of a smart energy system. The ALIGHT initiative targets the entire aviation value chain, encompassing system mapping, energy supply, passenger transport, and sustainable heating and cooling of airport buildings, with the overarching goal of leading the green transition in European airports.

Lead by Copenhagen Airport, the ALIGHT consortium consists of 17 partners who have jointly committed to address the challenges of creating green transition in the aviation industry. Spread across different European countries, the ALIGHT partners range from European airports to technology providers and knowledge institutions. The ALIGHT partners are the following: CPH Airport (CPH), Aeroporti Di Roma (ADR), Vilnius Airport (LTOU), Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Nordic Initiative for Sustainable Aviation (NISA), International Air Transport Association (IATA), Deutsches Zentrum Fuer Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR), Fuel Farm and Hydrant Operator (BKL), AIR BP Limited, RSB Roundtable om Sustainable Biomaterials Association (RSB), Hybrid Greentech (HG), BMGI Gindroz Bernard, University of Parma (UNIPR), Technical University of Hamburg (TUHH) and AIRBUS.

Aviation currently contributes to 3-5% of man-made climate changes, encompassing both CO2 and non-CO2 effects on the atmosphere (D. S. Lee et al). Despite a pandemic-induced reduction in air traffic, the industry is expected to rebound, particularly in European aviation, potentially leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions by 2024 (Volker Greve et al). This poses a challenge to global emission reduction goals, as emphasized by the IPCC's warning that emissions must peak by 2025 to align with the Paris Agreement. To enhance the impact of initiatives like ALIGHT, the project aims to collaborate with similar partnerships, fostering knowledge exchange and promoting sustainable solutions across the industry.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During M19-M36, ALIGHT overcame COVID-19 challenges in the first 18 months, accelerating planned activities. Robust collaboration and improved governance characterized scientific efforts, focusing on consolidating ALIGHT's path for sustainable aviation impact.

The activities performed in this reporting period therefore include but are most certainly not limited to;

1.The performance of an extensive and innovative 4-week SAF measurement campaign to measure the impact of SAF on local air quality. This high-complexity activity – which was first of its kind to ever be performed in operational settings in an airport - was performed by 6 dedicated partners in ALIGHT as well as relevant external stakeholders to enable the measurement of local air quality in Copenhagen Airport from a dedicated SAS aircraft flying on 34 % SAF blend with 3-4 turn-arounds in Copenhagen and Stockholm. DLR worked tirelessly to treat the vast data mass and the ALIGHT partners were thrilled to be able to announce a 30 % improvement in local air quality in October 2023.
2.The efforts leading towards a full-scale demonstration of smart energy supply at CPH Airport was initiated. The analyses and baseline studies necessary before the delivery of the innovative Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) have been completed and the smart BESS system arrived to CPH Airport in the end of this reporting period.
3.The development and finalization of an extensive amendment to the ALIGHT-CINEA contract resulting in the following changes among others; an extension of the project period with 12 months to enable a project close in end of 2025, the addition of a new dedicated partner to the Consortium, AIRBUS, in order to provide unique expertise on aircraft technology concerning opportunities for smart use of SAF and a strengthened focus on Non-CO2 which has grown increasingly important within sustainable aviation as they account for 2/3 of all CO2 impact.
4.The formalisation of an external Advisory Board consisting of 8 dedicated members from various parts of the sector ranging from Denmark’s largest energy company (Ørsted) to Airports Regional Council and Federal Aviation Administration of the US Department of Transportation. In the coming reporting period we expect to expand the Advisory Board with a new relevant member to add new perspectives to the project.
5.The successful conduction of 2 General Assemblies in Copenhagen Airport (2022) and Fiumucino Rome Airport (2023) with attendance from relevant Advisory Board members. These meetings have enormous impact on the level of knowledge exchange, technical sparring, and strategic liaision amongst partners which ultimately creates the necessary space for achievement of key objectives and milestones.
6.ALIGHT enhanced its management by transitioning to workstream collaboration. The Workstream Coordination Team, with representatives from key areas, meets every 6-8 weeks to align strategies, maximize impact, and address risks. The format, evaluated in M36, unanimously confirmed its significant value to ALIGHT's overall work.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

With a recently approved amendment shaping and formalising the future path of ALIGHT the innovations and technologies deriving from the project are deemed to be promising, and this reporting period have proven to be fruitful for the acceleration of technical activities after having faced numerous challenges in reporting period 1 primarily caused by COVID-19. The tangible results expected at the end of the project – and its overall impact – are as follows:
• Strategic and extensive guidelines for choosing the most sustainable SAF compliant with aircraft fuel standards and recommendations on smart use of SAF;
• Development of best practice and a replication toolbox for SAF supply Showcase of effects of use of SAF on local air quality and GHG emissions based on actual measurements of field performance;
• An analysis showing the measures airports and other actors have to take to facilitate the smart use of SAF to minimize the climate impact of aviation, including non-CO2-factors, in a transition period with low availability of SAF;
• Development of viable smart energy system ready for replication in fellow airports and scale-up within Copenhagen Airport.;
• A best-practice handbook for sustainable airports to be used in the construction of the new Warsaw Airport in Poland for which ALIGHT partner, CPK, is responsible.;
• A design manual for the aircraft stand-of-the-future as the project takes into account the accelerated progress of hydrogen and electric airplanes and eVOLTs.;
• Communication and dissemination of learnings and outcomes of the project to such an extent that it supports industry stakeholders in their own efforts to transition, assist our fellow H2020 and Green Deal partnerships as well as inspire others, raise public awareness on sustainable aviation and highlight the European Commission´s role in supporting the green transition of aviation.

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