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.[ Cold-Iron the Ships by Capt. Pawanexh Kohli ] While the term denotes shore as opposed to sea, it is sometimes applied to aircraft or land-based vehicles (such as campers, heavy trucks with sleeping compartments and Sleeper bus), which may plug into Electrical grid when parked for idle reduction.
The source for land-based power may be grid power from an electric utility company, but also possibly an external remote generator. These generators may be powered by diesel or renewable energy sources such as Wind power or Solar power.
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. Use of shore power may facilitate maintenance of the ship's engines and generators, and reduces noise.
The amount of power required can be relatively large, for example for visiting cruise ships to cold-iron, the port of Flåm in Norway fitted a system capable of supplying 16 Volt-ampere
Oceangoing ships
"
Cold ironing" is specifically a
shipping term that came into use when all ships had
coal-fired engines. When a ship tied up at port, there was no need to continue to feed the fire and the iron engines would cool down, eventually going completely cold – hence the term "cold ironing". Commercial ships can use shore-supplied power for services such as cargo handling, pumping, ventilation and lighting while in port, they need not run their own diesel engines, reducing air pollution emissions. Examples are ferries and cruise ships for "hotel" electric power, and a salmon feeder ship uses shore power while at the salmon farm.
For the bigger connection the system may also include equipment to convert the voltage and frequency to that of the vessel.
As part of the EU’s for 55 programme, all main ports in the European Union will have to have shoreside electricity available by 2030 and as of 2023 46% of cruiseships can use shoreside electricity while in port.
Small craft
small
Pleasure craft, electrical power supply on board is usually provided by 12 or 24 volt DC batteries
whilst at sea unless the vessel has a generator. When the vessel is berthed in a marina or harbourside, mains electricity is often offered via a shore power connection.
This allows the vessel to use a battery charger to recharge batteries and also to run mains-powered AC devices such as TV, washing machine, cooking appliances and air conditioning. The power is usually provided from a power pedestal on the dock which is often metered or has a card payment system if electricity is not provided free of charge. The vessel connects to the supply using a suitable shore power cable.
Trucks
Shore power, as it relates to the trucking industry, is commonly referred to as "Truck Stop Electrification" (TSE). The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that trucks plugging in versus idling on diesel fuel could save as much as $3240 annually.
[ 090916 afdc.energy.gov] there were 138 truck stops
[ 090916 afdc.energy.gov] in the USA that offer on-board systems (also called Shore power) or off-board systems (also called single system electrification) for an hourly fee.
Auxiliary power units offer another alternative to both idling and shore power for trucks.
Aircraft
airplane connected to its 115V 400Hz AC ground power unit at Phuket International Airport.]]Similar to shore power for ships, a ground power unit (GPU) may be used to supply electric power for an aircraft on the ground, to sustain interior lighting, ventilation and other requirements before starting of the main engines or the aircraft auxiliary power unit (APU). It is also used by aircraft with APUs if the airport authority does not permit the usage of APUs whilst parked, or if the carrier wishes to save on the use of jet fuel (which APUs use). This may be a self-contained engine-generator set, or it may convert commercial power to the voltage and frequency needed for the aircraft (for example 115 V or 200V / 400 Hz).
Trains and buses
Shore power may be a
Electrical grid for
Layover between runs.
Similarly
may be connected when not in use.
See also
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IEC 60309 2P+E plugs are used in Europe for small boats providing 16,32 or 63 amps at 220-250 volts
-
NEMA connector plugs are most often used in N. America for small boats (120 volts at 30 amps)
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IEC/ISO/IEEE 80005-1 - international standard for larger vessels requiring over 1MVA
