The UK's first e-marine hub of shore-side charging facilities for electric maritime vessels has been unveiled in Plymouth.
A series of high power DC electric charging stations has been switched on in prominent locations along the perimeter of the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park.
This includes the world's first 150kw charging facility at Mount Batten, the UK's first 75kw site at Queen Anne's Battery, and a 25kw installation at the Barbican landing stage.
Further installations are now being developed along the city's waterfront, with additional sites also being identified in Devon and Cornwall with a view to providing electric charging facilities every 10 miles along the counties' southern coastline.
The charging network has been created through the Marine e-Charging Living Lab (MeLL) initiative, a consortium led by the University of Plymouth in partnership with Plymouth City Council, Princess Yachts Limited and Aqua superPower
It directly responds to the UK government's Clean Maritime Plan for maritime net zero and its drive to increase the UK's current percentage of clean electricity to 100% by 2035.
It has also been designed to offer commercial enterprises of all sizes with a sustainable, cost-effective and time-effective means of making the switch from diesel to electric power.
Research by the University, carried out during the planning stage of the project, has shown the network has the potential to reduce port emissions by 96.60% in the next 30 years. As a result it could significantly cut the sector's impact on the climate, and reduce the damage caused by harmful gases on both human and environmental health.
The MeLL project has been funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
It furthers the city's reputation as a centre of excellence in clean maritime innovation, and complements existing and emerging initiatives including Oceansgate, Smart Sound Plymouth, the Plymouth Freeport and the UK's first National Marine Park.
Clean maritime research and innovation
The University of Plymouth is among the UK's leading proponents of clean maritime research and innovation.
It is conducting research in fields as varied as maritime cyber and marine autonomy, advanced engineering and the arts, biological and environmental science and Big Data.
Through engagement with business and the wider scientific community, it is pioneering new ways of transforming this research into practical solutions to challenges being faced across the marine and maritime sectors.
It is also harnessing the capability of new and existing technology within this sphere, including looking into the development and application of autonomous marine systems to advance our understanding of the ocean.
The University is continuing to forge new areas of clean maritime research and drive debate around how they can be applied effectively and collaboratively
