Intelligent power management specialist Eaton will introduce its Green Motion Air to airport operators across Europe at the 2023 Paris Air Show next week.
Green Motion Air is built on Eaton's proprietary DC charging technology, bringing conversion efficiency of 96% to charging electric planes and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the company said.
François Randin, business development director, energy transition, digital and services at Eaton, said: “This latest version of technology that was formerly called Skycharge was initially developed by Green Motion – now part of Eaton – and Pipistrel. Green Motion Air is the first such technology to be approved by EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Airport buildings ‘as a grid’
Airports can be transformed into energy hubs through Eaton’s Buildings as a Grid approach to the energy transition, which unites the power needs of buildings and electric vehicles with on-site renewable energy generation.
Explaining how this approach works at an airport, Randin said: “Buildings as a Grid is strategic so it could mean coupling on-airport renewable energy generated from assets such as solar panels, with EV charging stations in airport car parks, Green Motion Air, and other electrical equipment too.”
The approach is based on a concept called sector coupling that links energy consumption with renewable energy generation and storage to reduce costs and carbon emissions and lessen pressure on the grid. It is a flexible and scalable approach, so airport operators can start with Green Motion Air, for instance, and plan to expand their infrastructure via Eaton’s related hardware and software at a later stage.
The product benefits of Green Motion Air include: a 10in colour touch-screen display for ease of use, which enables the user to pause and resume the charging session; cybersecurity protection; and secure user authentication. It is suitable for indoor and outdoor mounting, with cable extensions available for enhanced flexibility, or mobile use, according to Eaton.
Image: Eaton
