b'82 CAE OPERATIONSoffset of around $160,000 for another 15 years, Murray explains.New Staff MemberThe array is designed to last more than 20 years. After making so many incremental gains in efficiency over the last As energy demand continues to grow throughout the state,eight years, airport leaders wanted to make sure that updated utility companies are coming up with ways to generate moreterminal systems operate at optimum levels for years to come. So clean energy, he adds. Were getting a decent amount ofCAE recently created a new position: project and asset manager. support and encouragement to do a project like this, because itThings do have a tendency to just sort of creep back up, lessens the burden of energy they need to make up elsewhere. Murray comments.To complement South Carolinas increased manufacturingThe airports new employee provides continued oversight related to electric vehicles, the airport may add more onsiteof system performance and is expected to go above and charging stations. beyond traditional maintenance practices. Duties include establishing preventive maintenance procedures and contracts when contractors turn over new projects or equipment to the airport. Overcoming Challenges Navigating complex retrofit and renovation projects required quick adjustments in the field during construction or installation. Those are always tricky, because you run into things that nobody remembers doing from historical projects, Murray says. When encountering unforeseen obstacles, crews used flexibility and effective communication to create solutions and minimize disruptions, he adds. One particularly memorable challenge was shutting down power to the entire terminal to interconnect new high-voltage systems to the switchgeara feat that required significant planning and coordination among the operations teams and project contractors. For example, security staff had to be posted at every door until automated systems came back online. We put a lot of thought into the first time that happened and then as things went along, you can get the process down and everything just gets a wee bit easier, Murray recalls. People get more comfortable with it.Looking Ahead With technology advances, cost reductions and new incentive programs to encourage energy resilience, the airport will continue looking for ways to increase its efficiency. The idea of developing a solar farm over a parking garage and creating a microgrid is still very much on the table. The big goal is for us to be as self-sufficient as possible, Murray comments. So when we do these projects that directly benefit the public, theyre also helping the airport be more efficient and more productive. September 2024AirportImprovement.com'