Easy energy gains

Debbie Hobbs of Environ explains that while a lot of energy use goes on large and obvious equipment like cranes, “when people start looking at their energy consumption and carbon footprint, there are an awful lot of opportunities where costs savings can be made, such as lighting up car parks unnecessarily”.

And much can be achieved by things like re-lamping lights with more energy efficiency options.

“It’s important to go through your carbon inventory, identify key sources and look for opportunities to reduce both carbon and costs,” she says. “There are probably some measures you can take that don’t require massive amounts of investment – and the payback can be immediate.”

Dennis Olesen of APM Terminals explains that the company is testing out quite a few “low threshold” energy initiatives that will give both environmental and saving gains such as sensors in buildings that put the lights out when there’s no one there. Although systems like this, say Ms Hobbs, often need a “bit of tweaking” to make sure they are set up correctly.

She explains, “You have to make sure there aren’t any places where people can’t get hidden from the sensors behind a pillar or in a corner - and suddenly be plunged into the dark, having to resort to waving their arms frantically in the air to get the lights to respond.”

So, Health & Safety has to be the first concern but that satisfied, the idea seems like a winner, especially if it's applied to handling and storage areas. “The other benefit to this is the security issue. If you suddenly see a place light up but no-one's supposed to be around, then it tips you off that you might need to investigate” she adds.

Mr Olesen adds, “We also have a promising trial underway of a new technology for the illumination of terminals that looks like giving energy reductions of between 30% to 50%. It works improving the diffusion of the light, and it’s not especially intrusive as it simply means exchanging the existing armature and fittings.”

There are also other applications for control, and actually, some of this control is to do with human behaviour. A good example is the use of doors in hangars and workshops. “These environments are famous for having the doors open and the heaters on,” says Ms Hobbs.

One way that has worked with some success is simply to link the heaters to the roller shutter door, so when the door is open the heating goes off. “People soon work out its better to shut the doors,” she says.

Ms Hobbs adds that since external, solar powered, lighting has become more efficient, there's also a good business case on new developments for leaving out some of the electrical wiring to the further flung corners of the port altogether and relying on solar collectors to power the lighting. There is, she says, car parks that rely entirely on photo-voltaic cells to power the lighting.

Obviously, handling equipment is one place to look for energy savings, and before you start looking at the rather more expensive options like energy reclamation devices and retrofitting hybrid engines, there are lesser measures that can make a difference.

For example, there are automatic anti-idling devices for smaller handling units such as forklift trucks, and likewise options that minimise erratic acceleration – many of the newer models have a the option of an onboard diagnostic computer that can take over these functions. This means reducing energy lost to sharp “foot to the floor” driving as well as a tendency to leave the engine running, while adding to your environmental programme.

Further, Mr Olesen says APMT are also testing out other low-investment actions like special oil filtration units, so that a terminal tractor can roughly double it's running miles before an oil change: this sort of thing tends not just to deliver better oil use, but also better engine efficiency.

The problem for the port's side of the equation is that many are have a landlord-tenant arrangement with the operator – and it's the operator who runs up the biggest electricity bill by far. Although there are a number of different arrangements for the operator to pay the port, in many cases, there is just the one meter. Debbie Hobbs has a simple answer. “If you don’t measure it you can’t manage it - so put in sub-metres: these are very cheap, they can be very simple, portable or internet linked and can provide a wealth of information to give you a good picture of what’s going on inside the port.”

Having got to this point, there's a good reason for a port landlord to work closely with its operator tenant, and that's to quantify exactly where the cost saving opportunities are – and further, what the actual and combined carbon footprint really looks like – an issue that looks like it will become ever more prevalent.