Smart energy technologies to be piloted at Portsmouth International Port

Portsmouth International Port, working with a consortium of three other organisations, will be piloting a smart energy system to significantly decarbonise its port energy operations as part of a new project, PESO (Port Energy Systems Optimisation). The PESO project, co-funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, will show how ports can use smart grid technology and sophisticated management software to reduce atmospheric emissions and improve air quality, while optimising energy costs.

The pilot system will integrate local electricity generation, novel energy storage and smart energy management to demonstrate how ports can meet emerging onshore power demands.

Three main areas of innovation will be explored in the PESO pilot: the design and construction of novel dual-chemistry battery technology to meet the port requirements; advanced management software to optimise onsite energy generation and storage; and the development of smart port grid infrastructure.

Energy management software will be developed by Swanbarton, specialists in energy storage and control technologies. The Energy Systems Catapult will assess the future energy requirements around ports and the long-term impact on the energy system.

Marine South East is leading the project and will plan how the technology can be commercialised and rolled out across UK ports as rapidly as possible.

“Cleaning up maritime emissions is now an urgent priority for the maritime sector and the PESO project will be a critical stepping-stone to achieve this,” says Jonathan Williams, CEO of Marine South East.

“As a port that is owned by the people of Portsmouth, we are committed to take bold action to meet our goal to be the UK’s first zero emission port,” says Mike Sellers, Port Director at Portsmouth International Port. “This innovative project will enable the port to maximise the amount of renewable energy it can produce and use for its own operations including powering electric vehicles to replace diesel and reduce emissions. This initiative has the potential to have significant benefits for the port, and could also provide a solution to smart energy use that can be shared with the wider port industry.”