Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing a Request for Responses (RFR) has been issued by the Aeronautics Division for consultant services to plan, permit, and design a smart microgrid at Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis. Earlier this year, the Aeronautics Division received a $1.95 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Program to support the planning of the smart microgrid which seeks to generate and distribute clean, reliable power at the airport.

"We are grateful for the support of our federal partners which has allowed the Commonwealth’s Aeronautics Division to get started on this groundbreaking microgrid project," said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Gina Fiandaca. "The climate crisis is the Commonwealth's greatest challenge, and innovative projects such as this at the airport in Hyannis will move us forward in reaching our greenhouse gas reduction goals while working toward creating a reliable, multimodal, and energy efficient transportation system."

“A clean energy future starts here at home in Massachusetts by making sure that our transportation system runs on electricity—from the roads we drive on to the planes we fly on,” said Senator Ed Markey. “I applaud MassDOT Aeronautics for investing $1.95 million to build a smart grid that will supercharge vehicles at Cape Cod Gateway Airport with clean, renewable energy. This smart grid will not only keep Bay State communities safe and healthy, but it will also allow the clean energy revolution to soar.”  

“Southeastern Massachusetts is a hub of clean energy initiatives. It is also where we are seeing most imminently the effects of climate change in the state,” said Congressman Bill Keating. “Projects like this one at Cape Cod Gateway Airport highlight the Commonwealth’s commitment to moving us forward in ways that will support and sustain Cape communities that rely on our local transportation infrastructure for everything from supplies and goods to tourism. I applaud the Commonwealth for using these federal funds for such an important project.”

“MassDOT Aeronautics is thrilled to announce our search for consultant services to plan for the installation of a smart microgrid at Cape Cod Gateway Airport,” said MassDOT Aeronautics Administrator Jeff DeCarlo. “This underscores our focus on integrating electric air and ground vehicles into a multimodal system powered by renewable energy, advancing efficient, clean transportation in the Commonwealth.”

“We’re excited to begin work on this mission-critical project,” said Owen Silbaugh, Chief Engineer and Director of Airport Engineering at MassDOT Aeronautics, the Project Director for the SMART grant project. “Planning a robust infrastructure for the electrification of ground vehicles and aircraft at Cape Cod Gateway Airport provides a powerful clean energy transportation model for other airports in the Commonwealth and across the nation.”

Power from the smart grid would be generated by facilitating the charging of electric ground vehicles, including buses, and in the future, electric aircraft. In collaboration with the airport and the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, the initiative aims to increase clean energy independence while helping to support the disadvantaged community living near the airport in Hyannis.

The RFR is currently posted on COMMBUYS at https://lnkd.in/gnNmykbz. The deadline for submitting proposals is 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

MassDOT’s Aeronautics Division is dedicated to making air transportation safer, cleaner, quieter, more efficient, and more economically advantageous for people, communities, and businesses in Massachusetts. The Division’s responsibilities include regulating and promoting aviation across the Commonwealth and overseeing 35 of the state’s 38 public-use airports and introducing next-generation aviation systems, such as uncrewed aircraft, sensors, and systems to ensure airspace awareness, Advanced Air Mobility infrastructure, and strategies to improve mobility options for the traveling public.

For more information on the Aeronautics Division, please visit: Aeronautics Division | Mass.gov

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