Shore power or shore supply is the provision of shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth while its main and auxiliary engines are shut down. While the term denotes as opposed to, it is sometimes applied to aircraft or land-based vehicles (such as campers, heavy trucks with sleeping compartments and ), which may plug into when parked for .
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This saves fuel and cuts harmful emissions. Shore power solutions from Wärtsilä help vessels save fuel and decrease their emissions because they can plug in to the onshore electricity grid when in port. Without shore power, the vessels would have to use auxiliary engines to generate power.
These generators may be powered by diesel or renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. Shore power saves consumption of fuel that would otherwise be used to power vessels while in port, and eliminates the air pollution associated with consumption of that fuel. A port city may have anti-idling laws that require ships to use shore power.
What is shore power?
Shore power is essentially the use of a giant electrical plug that allows marine vessels (anywhere from cruise ships to container ships to tugboats) to plug into green electric power while at the dock to eliminate the need to run diesel engines while at berth.
How effective is shore power?
Shore power can be most effective when applied at ports with a high percentage of frequently returning vessels. Barriers to shore power include infrastructure and electricity costs. Shore power can require significant investments in landside infrastructure and vessel modifications.