Page 11: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Sep/Oct 2018)

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F i n k i n

Diesel-Powered Backup Generators are Essential for Port Operations. Not everyone has one.

“Argonne found that 31 percent of America’s ports do not maintain any physical backup measures for the loss of electric power, meaning they rely solely on external power sources. This presents an incredible, urgent opportunity. Port authorities across the country should prioritize upgrades and installations of reliable emergency backup power systems.” percent maintain a backup generator, 31 percent maintain a UPS, two-tier emergency backup power to the port’s operations. and 22 percent maintain both. Of the ports that use a backup gener- The U.S. Navy uses a pier at the Port of Bangor, Maine to house ator, 91 percent rely on diesel power; only 9 percent use natural gas. Seawolf submarines and other ships during maintenance. In 2015,

The majority (55 percent) of ports use these backup generators the Navy decided to move additional ships to the Port of Bangor, support core functions in case of an outage, while 27 percent use requiring renovations at the service pier. In April 2018, the Navy them only to support life safety systems, 14 percent rely on them received funding and moved forward with obtaining a permit for to take the facility’s entire electrical load, and 5 percent depend the project. Adjustments to the pier include adding a shoreside on them to simply provide a ‘graceful shutdown.’ emergency generator, among other infrastructure.

In determining which technology to use, intention and reli- Separately, and across the Big Pond, Gemlik Harbor, Turkey is ability is key. That’s why so many ports rely on diesel-powered also ready for what might come next. Roda Liman Depolama ve Lo- generators for emergency backup power. While there are many jistik Isletmeleri A.S., a company operating in Gemlik – an important 2 technology and fuel-type options, none match diesel’s unique ca- harbor, near Istanbul, Turkey – recently constructed a new 32,000 m pabilities. Diesel is one of the only technologies capable of pro- port warehouse and required additional backup power so that ware- viding full load within seconds of an outage. It takes 10 seconds house operations and shipments can continue uninterrupted. The or less for start-up and full load handling with a diesel-powered Roda Port Warehouse has a prime location in Turkey’s logistics sec- genset. Other fuel sources may take up to two minutes, which tor. The main services provided by Roda Liman are vessel loading/ may be too long in many emergency situations, and out of com- unloading, warehousing and logistics to local and global customers.

pliance with state and federal laws. Fully transportable and acces- Installed and commissioned in late 2017 by Cummins with its sible, diesel generators and fuel can also be delivered to almost authorized dealer AET, the power system consists of two C825 any location, including the most remote. Diesel backstops for re- D5A generator sets.

newable microgrids can also provide necessary reliability when The latest near-zero emissions diesel innovations ofer port op- sources of renewable energy may be ofine. erators a way of ensuring resiliency, preparedness and recovery needs while minimizing environmental impact. Diesel-powered

The Best Prepare for the Worst generators manufactured today achieve dramatic emissions re-

Arguably, no port should be operating without backup power. ductions in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fne particle emissions on

And, it is instructive to see what some individual ports have done, the order of 88 and 95 percent compared to older models. These once they recognize that reality: fourth-generation advanced diesels – “Tier 4” engines – are avail-

The Port of Long Beach, California is the second-busiest port in able and being deployed today to reduce emissions. the nation, handling more than $194 billion in cargo per year. The Because of these unbeatable characteristics, ports and marine

Port constantly seeks new methods of enhancing operations while operations around the world depend on diesel generators for their reducing climate and air quality impacts. The most recent project emergency power needs. involves the addition of microgrid technology to its emergency backup power systems. Under a contract approved in September

Ezra Finkin

The Author 2018, the microgrid will include a 300 kilowatt (KW) array photo- voltaic system for energy production, a 250 kW microgrid-extend- is the policy and outreach director for the Diesel Technology Forum. Finkin ing mobile battery energy, and 330 kW and 670 kilowatt per hour works to educate state, local and federal policymakers and NGOs about the (kWh) stationary battery energy storage. The entire microgrid sys- importance of diesel technology and the clean air and economic benefts of continuing investments in clean diesel technologies. www.dieselforum.org tem will be backed up by a 500 kW diesel generator, providing www.maritimelogisticsprofessional.com 11I