San Francisco Bay Area Opens Green Power Grid to Boats

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Boats aren’t exactly the greenest of transportation technologies, when you consider the plumes of exhaust from their diesel engines and the globs of oil that they sometimes leak into the water. However, port authorities at the San Francisco Bay Area are planning to minimize this by offering to connect boats to the city’s power grid.

Shoreside power debuts at Pier 27, and will enable docked boats to plug into the power grid while they load or off-load. Initially, the system will allow cruise liners from Princess Cruises to connect. This saves vessels from having to run their fossil fuel-fed engines for refrigeration, air conditioning, and for running their electrical equipment.

The power is said to be clean and emissions-free, being generated from hydroelectric sources. Turbines have been installed throughout the Hetch Hetchy water system, and involves no carbon emissions. The EPA and the West Coast Collaborative helped fund the project with a $1 million grant or the design and building of at least 16 megawatts of capacity for powering up berthed vessels along the port.

Image source: flickr