Smart Shore Power system with energy storage for self-discharging commercial vessels supporting Whole Vessel Efficiency

The majority of currently existing maritime electrical supply/charging infrastructure in the UK is either relatively small scale and/or focused on meeting the needs of electrical consumers drawing relatively stable loads directly from the UK electrical distribution network, on a supply-on-demand basis. The primary objective of the above type of supply is to satisfy an immediate decarbonisation objective; with the related cost and sustainability aspects of electrical power delivery to ships at berth, if they are considered, potentially deemed to be of secondary concern.

The general direction of travel of a number of emerging strands of forthcoming maritime legislation at a global (IMO), regional (EU) and national (UK) level, suggests that over time, the majority of commercial cargo vessels of 400gt or more will be required to adopt decarbonisation measures of one form or another. In general terms, based on current or recently emerging technology, due to space constraints, the relative cost to revenue ratios and operational aspects, decarbonisation increases in difficulty as vessel size decreases.

The objective of this project is to undertake a study to determine the feasibility of developing, in a practical, environmentally and economically sustainable manner, a shore-based store and release electrical energy solution; capable of meeting the fluctuating electrical load demands of commercial cargo vessels operating, in addition to vessel base loads, ship-mounted self-discharging cargo equipment drawing frequent high peak transient electrical loads throughout extended duration cargo operations.

Additional to the technical challenges of delivering the significant and fluctuating electrical loads necessary for ship operations, the study will address the related issues of ensuring that: (i) to meet the needs of tidally constrained ship operations, an electrical power source can be provided to vessels decoupled from the supply on-demand electricity charging structure prevalent in the UK; and (ii), that an electrical power source is available to vessels from sustainable origins to ensure that both upstream decarbonisation and ship emission regulatory compliance objectives are achieved.

The study will further consider the related aspect of serving the needs of multiple vessels from a single shore-based infrastructure installation, thereby, to a degree, avoiding replication of similar decarbonisation technology in multiple vessels; with the associated reduction in materials usage and cost for ship operators. Finally, as an adjunct to the primary objectives, the project will explore the potential for supply-to-grid support for the UK electrical network when available stored energy is not required for ship operations.