Electric tugboats (EV tugboats) are part of the growing trend of electrification in maritime transportation, aiming to reduce emissions and improve sustainability in port operations.
Project Scope
SAAM Towage was looking to incorporate charging infrastructure into the existing docks to electrify their fleet. While they would be able to subsidize some their recharging costs with governmental grants, SAAM Towage would have to provide a defined and accurate way to report on charging data. The power authority required SAAM Towage to provide total consumption per tug, as well as the amount of time each tug was being charged for.
Process
SAAM Towage conveniently had a covered and locked substation within 100 meters of the docks. QMC designed a system where individual multiload electrical meters could be mounted in outdoor rated enclosures, allowing for ease of access. Split-core CTs were used to allow for an easy installation process. The metering data was transmitted via Ethernet to a 4G LTE router, allowing for consumption and time duration data to be sent to MeterConnex, QMC’s meter data management platform. MeterConnex then generates preconfigured reports for both SAAM Towage and the power authority, granting meter data visibility to both parties and allowing SAAM Towage to receive their carbon rebates.
Outcome
This project was a huge success with SAAM Towage receiving regular carbon rebates. The ease-of-use that the electrical meters and MeterConnex have brought to their day to day operations have had a positive impact on the company as a whole. With the success of this project SAMM Towage is looking to apply these same units at other charging stations around the province in an effort to pioneer the decarbonization of the maritime industry.
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