The Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy and Management will host a free webinar “First in the World: An Airport That Generates Its Own Power” at 11:00 a.m. February 16 as part of its Energy Lecture Series.

Pittsburgh International Airport last year became the first airport in the world to be completely powered by a natural gas and solar energy microgrid, with the natural gas sourced from Marcellus shale wells drilled on airport property.

A microgrid is an independent electricity source that can operate autonomously while maintaining a connection to the traditional grid.

The project allows the airport to generate 100 percent of its electricity requirements and will allow the airport to continue operating even if there is a large-scale grid power outage and also save money on energy bills.

The webinar will be presented by Tom Woodrow, P.E., Senior Vice President of Engineering and Intelligent Infrastructure for the Allegheny County Airport Authority; Jeff Nehr, Vice President of Business Development for Peoples Natural Gas; and Jamie Habberfield, Business Development Manager for IMG Energy Solutions.

The Allegheny County Airport Authority board in 2019 awarded Peoples Natural Gas a 20-year contract to design, build, maintain, and operate the microgrid at no cost to the airport, while IMG Energy Solutions owns and operates the solar component.

The microgrid includes five natural gas-fired generators and nearly 10,000 solar panels, capable of producing more than 20 megawatts of electricity, the equivalent of powering more than 13,000 residential homes.

Click Here to register for this webinar, which is open to the public.

The seminar is approved for Continuing Legal Education in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Contact the Washington County Bar Association at wcba@washcobar.org for information.

For more information on other programs and initiatives, visit the Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy and Management webpage.

[Posted: February 2, 2022]

2/7/2022