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Marine Renewable Energy: A Solution towards Energy Self-Sufficiency of Ports

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 14329

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4200-465 Matosinhos, Portugal
2. Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: offshore renewable energy; wave energy; tidal stream energy; coastal modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hydraulics, Water Resources, and Environment Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: marine renewable energies; coastal and port engineering; physical and numerical modelling applied to offshore, port, and coastal issues; wave energy harvesting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
1. Hydraulics, Water Resources, and Environment Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
2. CIIMAR—Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Marine Energy and Hydraulic Structures, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
Interests: coastal defense; coastal engineering; coastal structures; breakwaters; marine energy; integrated coastal zone management; nature-based solutions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Seaports present high energy demands, which are mainly fulfilled by fossil-fuel energy sources. Consequently, seaports have turned into an important source of air pollution, especially in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, the high dependence on fossil-fuel energy sources makes ports significantly vulnerable to fossil-fuel price volatility, which may jeopardize their long-term economic competitiveness and sustainability. In this context, marine renewable energy (MRE) sources such as wave, tidal, and off-shore wind energy appear as promising alternatives to supply part of energy demands of ports, which may result in significant reductions of GHG emissions and improvement of economic competitiveness and the social/public perception of ports.
Against this backdrop, this Special Issue will focus on studying different MRE-based solutions that have the ambition to contribute towards energy self-sufficiency of ports and to encourage the transition to a low-carbon and blue economy. Examples of such applications include but are not limited to the following:

  • Transition towards carbon-neutral ports
  • Assessment of MRE resources within the jurisdiction areas of ports
  • Integration of MRE technologies within port infrastructures
  • Energy storage and/or grid integration of electricity generated by means of MRE sources
  • Production of hydrogen by means of MRE to supply energy demands of ports
  • Assessment of alternative renewable energy sources (floating PV solar, ocean thermal energy, biomass, etc.) and hybrid technologies (combining different resources) for energy self-supply of ports
  • Legal framework assessments to exploit MRE sources within the jurisdiction areas of ports
  • Potential interactions of MRE exploitation with port activities and the marine environment
  • Economic benefits derived from the use of MRE within jurisdiction areas of ports

The contribution of this Special Issue would be focused on the field of MRE, with the aim of a detailed assessment of the technical, economic, environmental and jurisdictional viability of supplying energy demands of ports by means of MRE.

Dr. Jose Victor Ramos
Prof. Paulo Jorge Rosa-Santos
Prof. Francisco Taveira Pinto
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable development
  • marine renewable energy
  • blue-growth
  • port energy self-sufficiency
  • low-carbon ports
  • coastal and marine policy

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1332 KiB  
Article
Optimization of a Tidal–Wind–Solar System to Enhance Supply–Demand Balancing and Security: A Case Study of the Goto Islands, Japan
by Patxi Garcia-Novo, Daniel Coles, Yusaku Kyozuka, Reiko Yamada, Haruka Moriguchi and Daisaku Sakaguchi
Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9147; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129147 - 06 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1360
Abstract
Due to the expected increase in electric power demand in the coming decades and the economic and environmental issues caused by power generation from the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, the integration of renewable energy into the grids of remote islands has attracted attention. [...] Read more.
Due to the expected increase in electric power demand in the coming decades and the economic and environmental issues caused by power generation from the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, the integration of renewable energy into the grids of remote islands has attracted attention. Among all renewable sources, tidal stream energy shows potential to contribute positively in areas with strong tidal currents due to the predictability and semi-diurnal periodicity of the resource, which makes it compatible with short-term energy storage. However, its performance in areas with lower available power density has not yet been addressed. In this paper, energy systems for the Goto Islands, Japan which combine solar, offshore wind, and tidal energy are evaluated based on whole-system performance indicators such as the annual energy shortage and surplus and the battery load factor. Without energy storage, an energy mix of 31% solar, 47% offshore wind, and 22% tidal energy provides the lowest values for annual energy shortage (29.26% of total power demand) and surplus (29.26%). When batteries are incorporated into the system, tidal stream energy is the main contributor to reducing these two parameters, with values up to 23.58% and 19.60%, respectively, for the solar and tidal scenario with 30 MW of installed storage capacity. These results show the advantages of tidal stream energy exploitation in stand-alone energy systems, even with relatively low capacity factors (0.33). Full article
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17 pages, 11892 KiB  
Article
Renewable Energy Potential for Micro-Grid at Hvide Sande
by Tatiana Potapenko, Jessica S. Döhler, Francisco Francisco, George Lavidas and Irina Temiz
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2234; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032234 - 25 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1097
Abstract
Decarbonization of ports is a major goal to reduce their global carbon footprint. The port of Hvide Sande is located on the coast of the North Sea in Denmark and it has the potential to utilize various renewable energy sources. Wind and solar [...] Read more.
Decarbonization of ports is a major goal to reduce their global carbon footprint. The port of Hvide Sande is located on the coast of the North Sea in Denmark and it has the potential to utilize various renewable energy sources. Wind and solar thermal parks are already installed there. Wave energy is an alternative to solar and wind energies and its advantage is the spatial concentration, predictability, and persistence. Heat to the town is provided by Hvide Sande Fjernvarme. In this work, it is investigated if the heat demand could be fully covered by renewable energies. Power profiles for each renewable energy resource were calculated using 30 years of re-analysis environmental data. Long, mid, and short term time series of power supply has been statistically and quantitatively examined. Considering the heat demand of Hvide Sande, the lowest frequency of zero occurrence in power generation can be ensured by the combination of wind, solar energy and wave. The article also estimated the capacity for Lithium-ion batteries. The optimal size of the battery is found by the bisection method. Finally, different combinations of renewable energy and demand as well as batteries are evaluated. The lowest zero occurrences in power production is met by the mix of three renewable energies. Also, the mix of three renewable energies significantly reduces the value of energy, required from the battery. Full article
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24 pages, 9561 KiB  
Article
Hydrokinetic Power Resource Assessment in a Combined Estuarine and River Region
by Gianmaria Giannini, Victor Ramos, Paulo Rosa-Santos, Tomás Calheiros-Cabral and Francisco Taveira-Pinto
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2606; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052606 - 23 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1801
Abstract
The worldwide river and tidal hydrokinetic power potential is considerable. Harnessing such potential could allow the generation of a significant amount of sustainable electricity for local uses. To the present, most studies on hydrokinetic power have focused on large-scale commercial technology development, large [...] Read more.
The worldwide river and tidal hydrokinetic power potential is considerable. Harnessing such potential could allow the generation of a significant amount of sustainable electricity for local uses. To the present, most studies on hydrokinetic power have focused on large-scale commercial technology development, large tidal farms planning, and high-intensity resources assessment. Reduced attention was oriented towards investigating possibilities for small to medium-size hydrokinetic plants. However, given the characteristics of rivers and estuaries, in most cases, relevant hydrokinetic power exploitation possibilities exist regardless of the dimensions of the region considered. The planning of small to medium-size hydrokinetic plants for various aspects differs from larger developments. In the present work, a method for assessing the hydrokinetic resource is proposed and applied to the case study of the Douro waterway, which is characterized by moderate flow speeds and limited water depths. A high-resolution shallow-water numerical model is set up using ocean and river inflow boundary conditions. The flow velocities are estimated for the neap-spring period for different freshwater discharges. The spots presenting the highest annual hydrokinetic power average were identified, maximum flow speeds of about 1 m/s were found, and an annual mean power of 0.4 kW/m2 was estimated, indicating that prospects for hydrokinetic energy harvesting exist. Full article
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16 pages, 1666 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Emission Impact of Cold-Ironing Power Systems, Using a Bi-Directional Power Flow Control Strategy
by Carlos A. Reusser and Joel R. Pérez
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010334 - 31 Dec 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3072
Abstract
Even though cold ironing is not a new technology applied to reduce the impact of emissions from ships at berth, commonly used arrangements for shore-side power substations only allow a unidirectional power flow, from port to ship side. Although these applications have a [...] Read more.
Even though cold ironing is not a new technology applied to reduce the impact of emissions from ships at berth, commonly used arrangements for shore-side power substations only allow a unidirectional power flow, from port to ship side. Although these applications have a positive contribution to port community health and global reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG), especially when the energy is supplied from renewable sources, emissions during loading/unloading operations are directly related to the operating profiles of auxiliary engines of a ship. The present work evaluates a ship’s emission impact when applying cold-ironing technology using a bi-directional power flow control strategy while at berth, thus optimizing the auxiliary engine operating profile and enabling regeneration into the port installations. The methodology applied considers the establishment of the operational profile of the ship, the adaptation and use of carbon intensity indicators (CII) used by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to evaluate the impact of shipping, and the strategy considering the capacities of the ship to obtain and provide electric power from and to the port when at berth. Results show that the strategy can be applied to any ship with a high demand for electric power while at berth, and that the adaptation and use of different CIIs allows operational profiles of electric power generation on board to be optimized and to reduce emission generation, which affects port community health. Full article
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Review

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23 pages, 8949 KiB  
Review
Assessment of Multi-Use Offshore Platforms: Structure Classification and Design Challenges
by Walid M. Nassar, Olimpo Anaya-Lara, Khaled H. Ahmed, David Campos-Gaona and Mohamed Elgenedy
Sustainability 2020, 12(5), 1860; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12051860 - 01 Mar 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5653
Abstract
As the world continues to experience problems including a lack of seafood and high energy demands, this paper provides an assessment for integrated multi-use offshore platforms (MUPs) as a step towards exploiting open seawater in a sustainable way to harvest food and energy. [...] Read more.
As the world continues to experience problems including a lack of seafood and high energy demands, this paper provides an assessment for integrated multi-use offshore platforms (MUPs) as a step towards exploiting open seawater in a sustainable way to harvest food and energy. The paper begins with background about MUPs, including information regarding what an MUP is and why it is used. The potential energy technologies that can be involved in an offshore platform are introduced while addressing similar applications all over the world. The paper presents the state of the art of MUP structures on the light of EU-funded programs. An MUP would have a positive impact on various marine activities such as tourism, aquaculture, transport, oil and gas and leisure. However, there are concerns about the negative impact of MUPs on the marine environment and ecosystem. Building an MUP with 100% renewable energy resources is still a challenge because a large storage capacity must be considered with a well-designed control system. However, marine bio-mass would play a vital role in reducing battery size and improving power supply reliability. Direct Current (DC) systems have never been considered for offshore platforms, but they could be a better alternative as a simpler control system that requires with lower costs, has lower distribution losses, and has an increased system efficiency, so studying the feasibility of using DC systems for MUPs is required. Full article
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