The role in evaluating the performance of energy efficiency interventions
UCL-Energy Institute has released a report summarising the results of a survey of the shipping industry’s attitudes to fuel consumption monitoring and measurement, and its role in evaluating the performance of energy efficiency interventions.
The survey shows that a mix of methods are being used with widely varying accuracy and that there is a strong appeal from the industry for the development of standardised and transparent performance analysis techniques.
In the past few years, energy efficiency has received increasing attention in the shipping industry. On the one hand, the introduction of environmental regulations such as the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) is driving an increase in energy efficiency. On the other hand, with bunker fuel often representing around 60-70% of many ships operating costs and at sustained high bunker prices, increasing energy efficiency can result in considerable costs savings. Measurement of fuel consumption is an important component in energy efficiency management, and yet there is little work to date quantifying the measurement techniques currently used in the industry and the applications of these techniques.
Policy applications – SEEMP compliance and MRV
In July 2011, amendments to MARPOL Annex VI were adopted, introducing mandatory technical and operational measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships (IMO, 2011). Accordingly, as of 1 January 2013, ships over 400 gross tonnage and above are required to keep on board a ship-specific Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP).
The SEEMP is an operational measure that aims to stimulate more energy efficient operational practices through four steps: planning, implementation, monitoring, and self-evaluation and improvement. This should be done using an established method, preferably an international standard, such as the Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator (EEOI), which is proposed as the primary monitoring tool in SEEMP (IMO, 2012). Currently, the IMO has only issued guidelines for implementation; it is then up to the ship owners to set up a plan, using the guidelines as a framework (Leander, 2012). However, the collection of performance data, particularly the measurement and analysis of fuel consumption data are expected to form an integral part of any implementation of the SEEMP guidelines.
Several components exacerbate and contribute to this observed phenomenon: |
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All of these features make it difficult for energy efficiency providers (e.g. technology companies) to characterise the costs and benefits of their technology for use in presentation to potential customers (ship owners and operators), and can lead to difficulties in estimating, communicating and proving their product or services costs and benefits (Maddox Consulting 2012).
Reliable performance monitoring and verification of the technologies is also in the interest of all technology manufacturers, as well as wider industry stakeholder groups.
Key messages
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For more information please click below to read the full report: