Sustainable Energy and Air Quality Improvement for Coastal Harbours to Achieve Net-zero with Grid Enhancements

The SEA CHANGE (Sustainable Energy and Air Quality Improvement for Coastal Harbours to Achieve Net-zero with Grid Enhancements) project will build and operate a new shore power system serving the 3 largest berths at Portsmouth International Port.

The system will allow Brittany Ferries vessels and visiting cruise ships to 'plug-in' and therefore switch off their engines. Additionally, the system will support the charging of 2 new hybrid/LNG ferries that will enter and leave the port under electric power, to further reduce CO2 and pollutant emissions.

The shore power system will support simultaneous powering of multiple vessels, with different onboard AC frequencies, voltages, and different ship-shore connectors. This will require:

- A new 15MVA grid connection (secured), dedicated to shore power.
- A dedicated shore power substation at the port, with complex power electronics and real-time control.
- A mobile Cable Management System (CMS) at each berth (the plug-in charger).
- Relocating the existing PESO battery system, and developing a novel control system for it, to support shore power operations.
- A digital twin for the shore power system, to enable data exchange with a digital twin for each visiting ferry. Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical assets or systems that can be used to simulate and analyse their behaviour in real-time.
- Widespread integration of power systems, operations systems, sensors etc to capture/exchange data between participant systems and stakeholders.
- Dashboards and reporting to attribute CO2 savings.
- Commercial and operational innovations at the port and new supporting roles.
- The resulting smart energy system will be easily scalable and therefore the solution can be replicated at other ports, once commercialised.

The project will consult with local stakeholders, vessel operators and other UK ports.

The project will build on and integrate innovative technologies developed by UK SMEs in earlier PESO and SHAPE UK projects at the port. CO2 savings will be calculated and reported for the port and the vessels. The air quality monitoring system at the port will be enhanced measure the resulting reduction in pollution.

The project aims to avoid more than 20,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions per year, by 2027. Savings will be calculated and attributed to the port or, where appropriate, to the visiting vessel. This project provides an exceptional opportunity to accelerate the green transition within the UKs maritime operations.