The Port of Rotterdam have successfully completed a pilot project involving the use of moveable battery containers to provide shore power at the Steinweg Beatrix Terminal. This innovative solution allowed vessels from the Cargow shipping company to connect to shore power, reducing emissions and contributing to the port’s sustainability goals.
The pilot follows on from the experiment conducted on Parkkade in late 2019/early 2020. This time, vessels of the Cargow shipping company were connected. These vessels have a greater energy demand than required during the first pilot.
Furthermore, the pilot took place at an operational terminal instead of a public dock. The battery containers are from Zero Emission Services, known for the battery electric powered inland vessels. This pilot means a potential new revenue model with shore power for Zero Emission Services.
The commercial partners have tested and demonstrated their technology in these two pilots. The integration of the various technological components on the shore and on the vessel, as well as optimising the logistics behind the moveable concept, have turned out to be particularly significant.
The application of shore power supplied from moveable batteries is technically feasible and could become a technical alternative to a standard shore power connection. However, the price tag of such a project is higher than with a standard shore power connection and the expectation is therefore that this will only be used at locations where no electricity is available from the grid .
The pilot was partly financed by Government subsidies, from the Nationaal Samenwerkings programma Luchtkwaliteit (National Air Quality Cooperation Programme). The aim is to improve the air quality in urban areas in particular.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority coordinated the pilot and, with the Municipality of Rotterdam, is now exploring the possibilities for broader applications of moveable shore power concepts. We are mainly looking at locations where flexible concepts work better than fixed connections, or where a fixed connection is not yet available due to grid congestion on the power grid.
