Fuel cells at ports

Environmental Regulations of Port Activity In the United States, where there are well over a hundred major ports, emissions from marine diesel engines have been reduced by 80 percent since regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took effect in 2004. These regulations have since expanded, tightening the emissions standards for non-road vehicles to compare with those of on-road vehicles, and placing limits on the sulphur content allowable in marine diesel fuels.

In the EU, a legally-binding emissions reduction target of 20% by 2020 is guiding future behaviour in a range of sectors, among them port operations and shipping. Allowable sulphur content in marine vessels has also been a focus within the EU, with the European Commission recently adopting a 0.5% global sulphur limit by 2020 and 0.1% for designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs) such as the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and English Channel.

As a result of new regulatory pressures, the technology landscape at many of these ports is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Electric gantry cranes are replacing diesel-powered systems at the Port of Miami, Florida, and the Jebel Ali port in Dubai, reducing noise and emissions in the process. At Gothenburg Port in Sweden, a system of rail shuttles has replaced several short-distance drayage trucks, a move that saved the port approximately 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2011. Ships are plugging into shore power at the Port of Long Beach, California, and truck operators at the Ports of New York and New Jersey are taking advantage of incentives to switch to cleaner fuels and EPA emissions-compliant engines.

Joining this list of technology upgrades are fuel cells, which are being demonstrated at ports around the world due to their clean profile and unique combination of benefits. Fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, a process that is inherently clean and efficient. The high reliability, low noise, and scalability of fuel cells have made them the preferred choice of big companies such as Coca-Cola, Google, and Wal-Mart. Now, major ports are exploring the technology as an alternative to diesel generators in a variety of applications and power needs.

In 2008, one of the first demonstrations took place at the Port of Hamburg, Germany, where a fuel cell-powered forklift aided materials handling for two years. This successful program showcased the ability of fuel cell forklifts to support warehouse logistics without issue, and demonstrated the potential of fuel cells in reducing overall port emissions. Cargo handling, in particular, contributes heavily to the pollution problem at ports, accounting for almost a third of all carbon monoxide emissions, 6 percent of CO2 emissions, and nearly 10 percent of NOX emissions at the Port of Los Angeles in 2010.

Fuel Cells at the Port of HelsinkiFuel cell-powered forklifts are now part of another demonstration underway at the Vousaari Harbour at the Port of Helsinki, Finland. The project, titled Demo2013, is a joint effort between leading companies and research institutions in Finland to demonstrate fuel cells in electricity delivery, cargo handling, communications, and logistics at the port.

Finnish manufacturer Wärstilla plans to supply a 50 kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell system that will feed electricity to the grid, redirect waste heat to the harbour area and district heating system, all while cutting noise and emissions throughout the port. Fuel cells that provide critical backup power will be demonstrated by T Control Oy, whose system boasts more than 160 hours of reliable backup power. This unit will keep the port’s telecom base station and several security applications such as gates and control systems operational in the event of a grid disruption.

Fuel cells will also play a role in the water: Wärstilla’s fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) will power docked ships at the port as well as approaching vessels that need clean power to bring the ship to harbour. Fuel cell APUs can be particularly useful at ports where speed restrictions are in place, providing a cleaner method of propulsion for docking ships. The hydrogen for all of these fuel cells will be provided by Finnish gas company Woikoski Oy, who recently opened Finland’s first hydrogen refuelling station at the Arctic Driving Centre in Rovaniemi. Woikoski will supply Vousaari Harbour with a mobile refuelling unit for the Demo2013 project.

While the Port of Helsinki prepares for their demonstration, two ports in the U.S. have already embraced fuel cell technology. The Ports of Los Angeles (L.A.) and Long Beach, California, are two of the largest ports in the country, moving more than $350 billion in goods and materials every year. In recent years, the two ports have teamed up to improve their environmental profile, and have identified drayage trucks as an application that would benefit from cleaner, more efficient technologies.

Last year, one of the ports’ largest cargo haulers, Total Transportation Services Inc., received a fuel cell-battery hybrid Tyrano Class-8 rig from local zero-emissions vehicle manufacturer Vision Motor Corp. The fuel cell charges the rig’s onboard battery, meaning the vehicle can go 200 miles between hydrogen fills and does not need to be plugged in to recharge.

The ports committed $425,000 from a joint Technology Assistance Program to demonstrate the Tyrano Class-8 rig for 18 months, and recently awarded Vision Motor Corp. up to $1.4 million to retrofit more than a dozen of their electric short-haul drayage terminal tractors with hydrogen fuel cells. In addition to that, Total Transportation Services has signed a letter to purchase 100 heavy duty trucks from Vision following the successful demonstration of the Tyrano rig, with the option to purchase an additional 300.

These demonstrations are just the beginning; fuel cells can be further integrated with port activity, improving environmental performance in the process. Their scalability means that fuel cells could power a ship’s onboard electronics or feed electricity to the grid that ships plug into while docked. Their flexibility in terms of fuel also makes them ideally suited to ports, where access to fuel and port design can vary greatly by region. Fuel cells can provide the necessary power to refrigerate shipping containers, eliminating harmful emissions from traditional diesel engines. The same is true for gantry cranes, a technology area where diesel engines still dominate. Equally important, fuel cells generate electricity quietly, reducing noise pollution and creating a better environment for dockworkers.

Fuel cells can help resolve many environmental issues facing ports around the world. Early adopters such as the ports of Helsinki, Los Angeles, and Long Beach are now demonstrating just a few of the many potential applications for fuel cells, and are also highlighting the ability of fuel cells to work with other technologies to improve the overall efficiency of ports. The fuel cell industry is already experiencing success in the large stationary power, telecom backup, and forklift markets, with hundreds of new installations each year and, in the case of fuel cell forklifts, thousands of units sold. Fuel cells are poised for continued success, and will help the world’s ports become cleaner, more efficient, and grid-independent if the technology is adopted more broadly.