Sandpit: Airport Environmental Investment Toolkit
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Engineering
Abstract
The environmental performance of the aviation sector has been subject to particular scrutiny recently. While our understanding of the role of aircraft technology in improving the environmental performance of aviation is advancing, opportunities for near-term improvements from changes in airport operations are not as well researched. Moreover, even with an understanding of possible environmental benefits that can be realized from changes to airport operations, the business case for making environmental investments at airports needs to be made to airport operators and their shareholders before progress can be made. The business case for an environmental investment should include its: environmental performance accounting for tradeoffs and legislation; economic return, both to the airport operator and society at large; financial viability including optimal levels of investment; and information about risk and uncertainty associated with the costs and benefits of the investment.In this context, the core aim of the current project is to inform environmental investment decision-making at airports by providing integrated environmental, economic and financial business cases for a range of environmental intervention options. The project integrates expertise in aircraft technology, airport operations, environmental impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis, financial optimization and decision-making analysis. In order to deliver the project's aim, a prototype software toolkit will be developed (the Airport Environmental Investment Toolkit) which brings together simulation of intervention options (e.g. energy use and emissions), environmental impacts (e.g. air quality and climate modelling), cost-benefit analysis (including public health impacts) and financial optimization (with both short-term and long-term objectives). The development of this toolkit will be informed by close engagement with Manchester Airport, and will be applied in a series of case studies at Manchester Airport to produce integrated environmental, economic and financial business cases for a range of near-term intervention options.The broad benefit of the project is that by providing a comprehensive business case for environmental investments at airports, there is a higher probability that sound investment decisions will be made on financial, economic, and environmental grounds. This aims to increase the cost-effectiveness of airport environmental investments, benefiting airport shareholders, and to improve the overall environmental performance of airports, benefiting near-airport communities and society at large. Furthermore, by integrating across relevant environmental domains, investments that result in unanticipated improvements in one domain (e.g. air quality) at the expense of another (e.g. climate due to lifecycle considerations) are less likely.
Publications
Stettler M
(2013)
Updated Correlation Between Aircraft Smoke Number and Black Carbon Concentration
in Aerosol Science and Technology
Adam Boies (Author)
(2012)
Uncertainties in Aircraft Soot Emissions Derived from Engine Smoke Number
Maximilian Vermorken (Author)
(2012)
The The Diversification Delta: a higher-moment measure for portfolio diversification.
in The Journal of Portfolio Management 3
Medda F
(2012)
Modelling public and private provision: The case of the railway services
in Papers in Regional Science
P Chan (Author)
(2012)
I have never been entirely sure quite what sustainability is!
Stettler ME
(2013)
Global civil aviation black carbon emissions.
in Environmental science & technology
Chan P
(2016)
Expert knowledge in the making: using a processual lens to examine expertise in construction
in Construction Management and Economics
Vermorken M
(2011)
Cause v. consequence-based regulation: Basel III v. the Eurocodes
in Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance
Eleni Rapti (Author)
(2013)
ATRS 2013
Description | The key findings demonstrated the level of emissions from airports on the runway and in-house. A number of strategies were developed at the management, economic and engineering levels. |
Exploitation Route | The findings have been taken forward by modellers in the field. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Energy Environment |
Description | Centre for Sustainable Road Freight Transport |
Amount | £4,423,783 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/K00915X/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2012 |
End | 11/2017 |
Description | Collaboration |
Organisation | European Investment Bank |
Country | Luxembourg |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Supervision from the EIB Finance unit and co-author |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Collaboration on distance function |
Organisation | University of Liege |
Country | Belgium |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Supervision |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Collaboration on efficiency analysis |
Organisation | University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria |
Country | Spain |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Expert supervision |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Contribution to Society of Automotive Engineering E-31 Aircraft Exhaust Emissions Measurement Committee |
Organisation | Rolls Royce Group Plc |
Department | SAE E-31 Committee |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We participated in measurement campaign lead by Rolls Royce to determine the particulate emissions from gas turbines used for powering aircrafts. The work seeks to set a standard for particle number emitted by aircrafts in order to reduce pollution around airports and in the upper atmosphere. Our work in particular focused on the measurement of solid particles, whereby wet particles are removed by a method under development within our lab, known as catalytic stripping. |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | QASER Laboratory Dissemination Event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Primary Audience | |
Results and Impact | Royal Society event to disseminate the developed work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |