How much does a grid-connected solar-powered container ship cost at a US port

Can a small cargo ship be solar?

While the solar large-scale vessel can match industry standards to within 1/3 of the speed by using a single power trailer - at significantly lower cost - A small cargo ship can be solar and match industry standards of speed and cost by employing a power trailer.

How much fuel does a container ship use?

Cargo ship uses 16 tons of fuel per hour. Fuel cost is $300/ton. $38M/year in fuel. About 8000 hours per year. 16x300x8000=$38M. It is about $100M for a 12k TEU container ship . This means solar payback time is under 1 month. PV costs less than the engine itself. 1 container ship creates as much pollution as 50M cars.

Can telescoping solar panels save fuel?

With telescoping panels, solar come to 1/6 the power of a diesel drive train. This may be a case for solar trailers, which just carry extensible solar panels behind the ship. Anyway, the effort to save burning 16 tons of fuel per hour are worth investigating.

Does shipping electrification create an opportunity for battery electric shipping?

The United States’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals, along with targets set by the International Maritime Organization, create an opportunity for battery electric shipping. In this study, we model life-cycle costs and GHG emissions from shipping electrification, leveraging ship activity datasets from across the United States in 2021.