Microgrid Charger Will Power First US Zero-Emissions Tugboat
The Port of San Diego in California and marine and logistics firm Crowley have broken ground on a shoreside solar charging station for the first US zero-emissions harbor tugboat.
The microgrid charging facility, equipped with two containerized energy storage systems supplied by Corvus Energy, will allow fast recharging of Crowley’s eWolf ship assist tugboat, which is slated to start operations at San Diego this year.
The station is designed to operate on off-peak hours from the community’s energy grid, and it includes a solar power array to support renewable energy use.
Each energy container will house battery modules with storage capacity of almost 1.5 MWh for a total capacity of 2,990 kW. The station will be equipped with battery monitoring system, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, and firefighting and detection technology.
“We are proud to work with Crowley and are grateful they chose San Diego Bay as home of the first all-electric tugboat in the United States,” said Chairman Rafael Castellanos, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “Their commitment to sustainability in the maritime industry directly aligns with our own efforts and goals to reduce emissions and improve public health in our communities while also supporting efficient and modern maritime operations.”
Crowley announced plans to build the 82-foot-long eWolf in 2021.
The vessel, which boasts 70 tons of bollard pull, will replace an existing diesel-powered tugboat that consumes some 30,000 gallons of diesel per year. The eWolf will use a large battery system and power saving technology that will enable it to operate in a fully electric, zero-emissions mode.
The vessel, which has also been designed for future autonomous operation to increase the safety and efficiency of operations, will be deployed at the Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, or TAMT.
The eWolf and its shoreside solar charging station are the result of a partnership among Crowley, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, the California Air Resources Board, the Port of San Diego, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Maritime Administration.
The Port of San Diego comprises the 96-acre TAMT and the 135-acre National City Marine Terminal. Both facilities are equipped to handle breakbulk, project cargo, heavy-lift items and roll-on, roll-off cargo, as well as steel and engines used in local shipbuilding.
Start-up of the charging station is in line with the port’s target of operating only zero-emissions cargo handling equipment by the end of the decade.
The Port of San Diego is exhibiting at Breakbulk Americas 2023, taking place on 26-28 September at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.
TOP PHOTO: Rendering of the tug-charging station. CREDIT: Crowley
SECOND: Rendering of the eWolf. CREDIT: Crowley
