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Power Outage Strands Thousands at US Airport. 600 Flights Cancelled (cnn.com)
An anonymous reader quotes CNN:
A power outage at the world's busiest airport left thousands of passengers stranded in dark terminals and in planes sitting on the tarmac, amid a nationwide ground stop. Incoming and outgoing flights at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were halted indefinitely as crews worked to restore power, leading to hundreds of flight delays and cancellations. Atlanta is the heart of the US air transport system, and what happens there has the potential to ripple through the country.
More than 600 flights to and from Atlanta have been canceled, including 350 departures, according to Flightradar24... Flights headed to Atlanta are being held on the ground at their departure airport. Inbound flights to Atlanta are being diverted, US Customs and Border Protection said. Departures from the airport are delayed because electronic equipment is not working in the terminals, the FAA said. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Some people stranded in the dark terminals used their cellphones as flashlights, one passenger told CNN. "There were a few emergency lights on, but it was really dark -- felt totally apocalyptic."
More than 600 flights to and from Atlanta have been canceled, including 350 departures, according to Flightradar24... Flights headed to Atlanta are being held on the ground at their departure airport. Inbound flights to Atlanta are being diverted, US Customs and Border Protection said. Departures from the airport are delayed because electronic equipment is not working in the terminals, the FAA said. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Some people stranded in the dark terminals used their cellphones as flashlights, one passenger told CNN. "There were a few emergency lights on, but it was really dark -- felt totally apocalyptic."
yup. atlanta. mainly due to the hub-and-spoke structure of commercial airline routes. this is delta's primary hub for the eastern half of the country.
more passengers fly through atlanta than any other airport in the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
and also busiest when measured by number if aircraft.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
It can be done pretty easily, it just costs money. Airports like Honolulu have on-site backup generation, but not sure what percentage of the load it covers— my guess would be about 65%.
For Atlanta the load should be around 35-40MW. 5-6 Turbines would cover it, but it would be about $20 million, and then you need to make sure your common points of failure with utility power are manageable, which would likely double the cost.