IEEE Electrification - June 2019 - 5

TECHNOLOGY LEADERS

The Drive to Zero
By Heather Tomley

HEN THE PORT OF LONG
Beach (POLB) in California
adopted the Green Port Policy in 2005, it made a permanent
commitment to sustainability and
reducing pollution from all sources
associated with port-related operations at the complex that sits at the
edge of the greater Los Angeles area
on the U.S. West Coast. The policy set
the stage for aggressive clean air programs, the success of which has led
to today's transformational drive
toward a zero-emissions port.
Today, the POLB is at the forefront
in establishing such policies. With
our largest deployment of clean air
technologies to date, we are moving
as swiftly as possible toward the full
integration of advanced technologies
into ships, trucks, trains, off-road
equipment, and small harbor craft.
The key to closing the gap is eliminating harmful emissions from
heavy-duty trucks and off-road cargohandling equipment, which operate
around the clock at the secondbusiest container seaport in the United States. The POLB, along with the
Port of Los Angeles, has set goals for
transitioning all terminal equipment
to zero emissions by 2030 and transitioning all on-road trucks calling at
the Port to zero emissions by 2035.

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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MELE.2019.2906629
Date of publication: 11 June 2019

2325-5987/19©2019IEEE

The goals are outlined in the guiding document for the neighboring
Southern California ports of Long
Beach and Los Angeles-the 2017
Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) Update.
The plan also sets targets for combating global warming and climate
change by reducing greenhouse
gases (GHGs) to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% below 1990 levels
by 2050.
Similar to clean air initiatives that
have already resulted in unprecedented reductions of diesel particulate matter (DPM), nitrogen oxides
(NOx), and sulfur oxides (SOx), it is a
tall order the Port cannot fulfill by
itself. The cost of going fully zero
emissions is estimated at US$7-14
billion, and the challenges include
developing commercialized technology (i.e., reliable, clean equipment
and vehicles that can withstand the
demanding, real-world operations of
a busy port) and ensuring that the
infrastructure for alternative power
and fuel is prepared to keep the
machinery running.
Although the Port is technology
neutral, many of its current efforts
focus on electricity because most
recent advances for port-related
equipment have involved battery and
plug-in technologies. Consequently,
the demand for electricity is projected to quadruple, making energy
planning, management, and resilience a priority.

Pooling resources and know-how
is the Port's path forward, exemplified
by its robust fundraising for grants to
pursue large-scale demonstrations of
zero-emissions equipment and
advanced energy systems. At the
same time, the POLB is committed to
ensuring that California's interconnected system of trade, which
accounts for one-third of the state's
economy in the form of more than
5 million jobs and US$740 million in
gross domestic product, remains
competitive and continues to thrive.
The partnerships we have developed and continue to build on over
the years are more critical today than
ever. Lasting progress occurs when
the manufacturers that make the
equipment and the terminal operators and trucking companies that purchase and use the equipment work
together toward clean air solutions
that make sense commercially.
This article describes in detail the
six recently launched projects the
POLB is pursuing along with a variety
of partners and stakeholders. The
projects are key components of
efforts to develop the near-zero- and
zero-emissions technology that will
allow the Port to meet its goals.

Partnering Toward Zero
The Port recently secured nearly
US$80 million in matching grants
from the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Air
IEEE Elec trific ation Magazine / J UNE 2 0 1 9

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