Portsmouth International Port is part of a Port Energy Systems Optimisation (PESO) project, co-funded by Innovate UK, which is intended to reduce carbon emissions and facilitate the electrification of port operations.
Accordingly, the smart energy technologies will be piloted at a UK port to improve air quality, reduce carbon emissions and facilitate the electrification of port operations.
The PESO will integrate local electricity generation, novel energy storage and smart energy management to demonstrate how ports can meet emerging onshore power demands and the requirements of ships as they increasingly use shore power and adopt electric propulsion whilst mitigating the need for expensive grid upgrading and optimising the use of variable tariffs.
It is reported that Swanbarton will be the one developing the software, and Energy Systems Catapult will assess the future energy requirements around ports and the long term impact on the energy system. Marine South East will plan how the technology can be commercialised and rolled out across UK ports as rapidly as possible.
The Port director at Portsmouth International Port, Mike Sellers, commented that
As a port that is owned by the people of Portsmouth, we are committed to take bold action to meet our goal to be the UK’s first zero emission port.
Overall, the PESO pilot project will explore three key areas of innovation;
- the design and construction of novel dual-chemistry battery technology to meet port requirements
- advanced management software to optimise onsite energy generation and storage
- the development of smart port grid infrastructure.