With shift & surge of renewables for cities and ports, they now grapple with need for new infrastructure solutions, that are sustainable, environmentally friendly, adaptable, and cost-effective.
There is an urgent need for sustainable and flexible infrastructure solutions to meet the challenges posed by the need for rapid decarbonisation, especially in urban and sensitive environmental settings.
At ELIRE Infra we have a unique solution with our Smart Hubs, that are already engineered and developed, with AiP certification, giving ports and location a fast track option to connect now.
Shore-to-ship power allows ships to turn off engines and connect to the electricity grid while in port. The number of cruise ports equipped to provide that shoreside electricity sits at 22 worldwide, which is less than 2% of cruise ports. The cruise lines are working toward a goal set by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to reach net-zero carbon cruising globally by 2050. CLIA's 39 member cruise lines have also agreed to build ships engineered to connect to shoreside power by 2035.
ELIRE Infra's Smart Hubs address these demands by providing a versatile, scalable, and sustainable solution which can be rapidly installed and implemented in other locations all over the world.
Immediate Challenges:
Accessibility: Securing shoreside real-estate for power supply within cities is expensive.
Connectivity: Provision of sufficient sustainable/green power within a port environment is currently in keen competition with other power e.g. needs EV charging etc.
Security: Ensuring security of power supply and Hub infrastructure safety when situated in a city environment.
Long-Term Challenges:
Scalability: Scaling operations across global port community and within ship operations will be a long-term project with many similar local constraints that are inherent within port/cityscapes.
Coordination: Synchronising power/connection standards across fleets, operators and countries (voltages/frequencies etc. ) will take time to establish.
Sustainability: Providing sufficient clean power sources will take time during the crossover from fossil fuels to renewables.
Market drivers – long term the industry will settle on a combination of battery swap and/or recharge and/or hybrid technologies
How We Are Enabling the Renewable Transition for Cruise Industry:
Our Smart Floating Hubs are mobile and can be placed in flexible locations to accommodate the characteristics of each vessel segment (e.g. cruise ships, ferries, cargo ships) with an easily expandable system that allows multiple ships to be docked at the same time.
Sustainability: Reduce local emissions and avoid high costs of quality marine diesel and genset maintenance by ensuring environmentally considerate operations and resource management.
Adaptability: Flexible power supplies to suit all fleets coupled with battery storage system to benefit from off peak supplies. Hubs can include passenger /crew /pilot /harbour master facilities.
Agility: In busy periods both marshalling and queuing for berths can be serviced with shore supply hubs.
Future proofing: Digital twin of complete system available for shipbuilders during design phase and ship owners during operation and maintenance.
Security: Ships can also supply power to the shore in times of disaster. (Infrastructure resilience).
Connectivity: High speed Internet connection – with other local IOT sensors available (weather/tide/water quality etc.)
Efficiency System: Includes control room facilities to monitor and operate the hubs. The supply has electrical load/fault monitoring included across cloud to operator.
The hubs provide a multi-use platform to connect the visiting ship to shore for all utilities including power which allows the ship to not have to run its engines for the duration of the stay. This decarbonises the port and improves air quality within the local environment and wider city scape.
A cluster of hubs connected to shore power with gangways to provide direct access to and from the berth. The hub formation provides:
A multi cable connection with conditioned power at high voltages/frequencies
A platform for passengers to embark and disembark with a terminal operated without the need for tenders/ ferries which could include border control and custom facilities
A total load capacity of 1200 tonnes per 1600 sqm surface area
A case example of cruise vessel connection:
Envisioning a cluster of x3 connected floating Smart Hubs, specifically tailored for providing power to cruise ships within a built up area with facilities to support cruise passenger operations:
Shore Supply Hub with buildings to house relevant shore supply switch gear, control panels and monitoring equipment.
Border Control & Customs Hub with building to house passenger/crew/pilot/harbour master officials and equipment to allow efficient processing of both passengers and goods.
Transport and Logistics Hub with building/covered storage and incorporating a Passenger Ticket Hall for managing the movement of passengers, crew, baggage and provisions effectively from ship to shore.
