While aircraft manufacturers race toward eVTOL certification, vertiport developers are discovering that energy infrastructure, not aviation technology, determines which sites can actually operate when aircraft arrive. The solution emerging from early-stage projects: sophisticated energy calculators that model multimodal demand and distributed generation systems that serve communities, not just aircraft.
Lisa Wright, Founder and CEO of Landings, revealed that her team has spent recent weeks building an energy calculator that transforms vertiport site planning from simplified assumptions to complex demand modeling. The tool addresses a fundamental question: How much energy infrastructure does a specific location need based on realistic traffic projections?
“We put in the demand side: two Amazon trucks a day, one eVTOL, three heavy drones, and the output is the minimum system you need on the energy side,” Wright explained. The calculator enables site-specific infrastructure planning rather than one-size-fits-all approaches that either over-invest in unused capacity or under-build and create operational constraints.
The calculator’s development reflects hard lessons from actual site negotiations. Wright’s team initially approached sites assuming grid access would be straightforward. Reality proved more complex: utility boundaries, upgrade availability, and capacity allocations vary dramatically even within single counties. One priority site identified for development sits on a county line where one side has utility upgrades and the other doesn’t, forcing distributed energy solutions.
Rather than treating this as a problem, Wright repositioned it as an opportunity. Vertiports operating as multimodal charging centers serving aircraft, school buses, municipal fleets, and community vehicles create shared-use infrastructure that distributes costs across multiple revenue streams and stakeholders.
The energy calculator models these multimodal scenarios. If a site expects two daily visits from local utility electric vans, demand increases, but so does justification for enhanced charging infrastructure that benefits both aviation and ground operations. A location serving agricultural drone operations might need different charging profiles than one supporting emergency medical flights.
The calculator helps operators determine whether a site needs three acres of solar generation or seven, and how battery system capacity should scale based on expected utilization patterns. For property owners evaluating vertiport feasibility, the tool provides clarity on infrastructure requirements before committing to partnerships.
Wright’s approach anticipates a market evolution that’s already visible in early adopter behavior. “If your local utility is using EV vans and they’re going to drive by your location twice a day, then your demand is going to be so-and-so, then you might need to put in seven acres of solar instead of the three acres you thought you were going to have,” she noted.
The calculator currently serves as an internal planning tool, though Wright indicated it will likely integrate into Landings’ feasibility software platform as energy infrastructure planning becomes more sophisticated. The broader platform already analyzes properties for vertiport suitability across factors including parcel size, terrain, zoning, FAA obstructions, and grid access, processing up to 200 addresses simultaneously with results in approximately eight minutes.
Energy infrastructure complexity extends beyond capacity calculations. Battery systems require capacity modeling and use-case analysis to determine optimal configurations. Cooling requirements for eVTOL batteries add infrastructure layers that ground-based EV operations never consider. Solar generation varies by region, season, and weather patterns, requiring buffer capacity to maintain operational reliability.
Wright’s energy calculator addresses these variables through scenario modeling. Operators can adjust assumptions about traffic mix, charging speed requirements, and backup capacity needs to see how infrastructure specifications change. The tool helps avoid both over-investment in unused capacity and under-investment that creates operational bottlenecks.
For commercial real estate owners holding rural properties, the energy infrastructure challenge represents both obstacle and opportunity. Sites lacking immediate grid capacity aren’t automatically eliminated: they may be ideal candidates for distributed energy solutions that serve broader community needs while supporting aviation operations. The calculator helps identify which sites fall into which category.
The broader implication: Vertiport site selection is evolving from simple location analysis to complex energy infrastructure planning. Property owners who understand their sites’ energy profile (current capacity, upgrade availability, distributed generation potential, and multimodal demand opportunities) position themselves more effectively than those focusing solely on parcel size and FAA clearances.
Wright’s timeline remains urgent. Aircraft certification is advancing faster than initially projected, with manufacturers including Joby announcing accelerated milestones. Sites that begin energy infrastructure planning now can be operational when certification arrives. Sites that wait to address energy until after aircraft approval will spend 12-18 months building infrastructure while competitors operate.
The energy calculator won’t be deployed publicly until modeling proves reliable across diverse site conditions and use cases. But its existence signals a maturation in vertiport planning: moving from conceptual site identification to operational infrastructure specification based on realistic demand modeling and multimodal use cases.
About Landings
Landings is building North America’s first comprehensive network of vertiport landing and charging infrastructure for electric aircraft. With a planned network of 2,000+ rural locations across North America, Landings is laying the groundwork for Advanced Air Mobility to reach critical mass at scale. Founded by architect and energy management expert Lisa Wright, the company takes an infrastructure-first, asset-light approach through revenue-sharing partnerships with commercial property owners. Learn more at landings.co.
