Decarbonisation of seaports: A review and directions for future research

Marine activities in seaports account for circa 3% of total carbon emissions worldwide, prompting several initiatives to decarbonise their energy systems and make seaports smarter and greener. This paper provides a thorough and authoritative review of the vast array of research in this field, including past and ongoing initiatives. The study reveals that existing research leverages recent advances in digital technologies while focusing on one or several of the following themes: carbon reduction, use of renewable energy resources, cost-performance optimisation, deployment of smart control technologies, the regulatory landscape for greening seaports, and implementing green port practices guidelines. As such, the paper provides a critical review of existing technologies and concepts that promote and contribute to the decarbonisation of seaports, including Smart Grids and Virtual Power Plants. Several avenues for future research are then discussed, including (a) total life cycle approach to seaport energy management, (b) Semantic-based modelling, forecasting and optimisation of seaports energy systems, (c) Secure and reliable seaports energy services, and (d) Transition towards prosumer-driven seaport energy communities. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of an adapted energy regulatory landscape at a national and EU-wide level to meet EU phased energy reduction targets