Application of Archimedes Wind Turbine in Power Generation Systems to Support Sustainability in Airports

Airports are air transportation facilities that rely heavily on the supply of electrical energy to support daily operations, from lighting to navigation systems. High energy consumption makes airports one of the contributors to carbon emissions in the aviation sector. This study aims to evaluate the potential application of Archimedes wind turbines as a small-scale energy plant at Ngloram Airport, Blora Regency, Central Java. Wind speed data was obtained from NASA’s climate data-based RETScreen Expert software, which was then used to calculate turbine output power and energy through a technical simulation approach. An Archimedes turbine with a diameter of 1.5 m and a sweep area of 1.77 m2 was used as a study model, assuming a power coefficient (Cp) of 0.35 and an air density of 1.225 kg/m3. The simulation results indicate that an average annual wind speed of 2.7 m/s is only capable of producing electrical energy of approximately 170–200 kWh/year per turbine unit. When compared to the estimated annual energy needs of the airport, which is approximately 117,200 kWh, the contribution of one turbine unit is only around 0.15–0.17%. However, when analyzed for the Cashew Garden area (≈4015 kWh/year), a single turbine can supply about 90–100 kWh annually, equivalent to 2.2–2.5% of the local energy demand. Although its direct contribution is still limited, the results of this study indicate that the Archimedes turbine has strategic potential as part of the airport’s renewable energy system, particularly for supplying light loads in non-operational areas. These findings provide the basis for further exploration of integrating small-scale wind turbines into the airport environment to implement green airports.