Stuttgart Airport recently commissioned its first high-performance battery storage system with a total capacity of 540 kilowatt hours (kWh). This system enables the airport to temporarily store excess energy from its solar panels and feed it back into the power grid at a later time. The goal of this measure is to optimize its own consumption, cushion peak loads in the power grid, and stabilize the airport's overall energy supply. The battery storage system is an important component of the so-called smart grid, an intelligent power grid designed to manage the energy supply at the state airport as efficiently as possible.
Ulrich Heppe, Spokesman of the Management Board of Flughafen Stuttgart GmbH, welcomed the commissioning of the storage facility as another important component of the airport's ambitious climate strategy, which aims to make operations greenhouse gas neutral by 2040. The battery storage systems, supplied by the Aachen-based company Voltfang, are part of the "finalize!" e-mobility project, within which the airport is expanding its electric vehicle fleet and establishing an intelligent charging and grid infrastructure. This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and is scientifically supported by the Institute of Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA) at RWTH Aachen University.
The airport's "STRzero" climate strategy envisions increasing the capacity of its battery storage facilities to approximately ten times the current capacity by 2040. By temporarily storing solar power and intelligently managing energy consumption, Stuttgart Airport aims to reduce its dependence on external energy sources and make a significant contribution to the energy transition in the transport sector. The use of battery storage facilities is considered a key technology for integrating renewable energies into the energy systems of airports and other large infrastructure facilities.
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