Airports continually embrace new technology to monitor and control air traffic, potentially rendering traditional control towers obsolete. This transition raises questions about the future of these iconic structures.
As airports transition to intermittent renewable energy sources, they encounter an increased need for energy storage. The unique structural characteristics of control towers make them suitable candidates for gravity batteries. This synergetic evolution would be symbolic of an airport’s transition to sustainable energy by preserving the iconic structure for renewable energy infrastructure.
Better yet, these ideas are not mutually exclusive—are there any airports willing to go first?
