The twin Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the largest contributors to air pollution in the South Coast Basin. Diesel pollution in particular can have devastating health impacts, including cancer and a host of respiratory and cardiovascular ailments.
And the cities are Long Beach California and Hamburg Germany. Each in very different ways are engaged in efforts to reduce pollution and use our energy resources smarter. As our world heads towards a 9 billion population about 2050, and as the remaining supplies of crude oil must be used more efficiently, each city has their place in our switchover to e-efficiency. Up first, the results of the California Air Resources Board test of a hybrid diesel-electric tugboat. The next generation will likely use Lithium-ion batteries and a gas turbine powered electric motor rather than the rather limited hybrid tested so far. Shipping is about to change in the decades ahead from a dirty industry to a cleaner industry, though few in our REE sector have focused on that coming change yet.
Study finds hybrid tugboat delivers significant reduction in criteria pollutant emissions compared to conventional version
19 November 2010
A study of a hybrid tugboat, funded by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and conducted by UC Riverside, found that when compared with a conventional diesel-powered version, a hybrid tugboat can reduce emissions of PM2.5 by about by 73%, NOx by 51%, and CO2 by 27%.
The hybrid tug used in the study, the Carolyn Dorothy, is powered by two 1,342 kW Cummins QSK50-M main engines and 317 kW Cummins QSM11-M auxiliary generators. It also has 126 soft gel lead acid batteries for power storage that are separated into two arrays with 63 batteries each. Each array stores 170.1 kWh of energy when fully charged. All engines meet United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 2 certification. Built by Seattle-based Foss Maritime, it began working the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in January 2009.
-----Among the other findings of the report was that the hybrid system increased the average operating load on the auxiliary engine from 12% to 34%. However, the average load on the main engines was found to be only 12% of the maximum rating. These engines are still operating in inefficient zone suggesting the need for a larger energy storage system and smaller main engines in the next generation of hybrid tugs.
The study also found that further improvements will result when the plug-in version is operative.
More.
It’s not hard to see where Long Beach is headed, nor that shipping will become much cleaner and more efficient in the decades ahead. Whatever mines and separation plants get built in the west will likely find willing buyers for their output.
Next, port city Hamburg tries out the E-Fiat. Rather than buying the Lithium battery pack, under this model an early adopter can rent the battery pack for 150 Euros an month which includes a flat-rate fee for electricity. By my rough calculation that’s the equivalent of about 25 US gallons at Germany’s price in Euros. It will be interesting to read the feedback on this about this time next year.