Factors causing peak energy consumption of reefers at container terminals

J H R Van Duin,D L Bank,H Geerlings,L A Tavasszy

doi:10.1186/s41072-019-0040-y

J H R Van Duin, D L Bank + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s41072-019-0040-y

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Abstract

Reefers are refrigerated containers commonly used for transporting perishable goods such as meat, fish, vegetables and fruit. Nowadays, reefers are responsible for 40% of the total energy consumption of container terminals, when connected to the electricity grid on shore. Every time when a large number of reefers is plugged-in after arrival, peaks in energy consumption occur. As container terminals purchase energy using a demand-based fee, exceeding the reserved capacity during peak times increases the energy costs of the terminal significantly. So far the literature has not dealt with the root causes of peak energy consumption of reefers, or ways to reduce these peaks. The aim of this paper is to identify the root causes and to quantify their importance. We use data of energy consumption of reefers at a large container terminal, over the period of 1 year. In order to identify the importance of factors, we apply a sequential multiple regression analysis approach with backwards feature selection. Variations in energy demand are explained for 77% by the arrival pattern of containers, for about 5% by dwell time and for 2% by other factors, such as container temperature at plug-in. Promising approaches to reduce peak energy consumption of reefers includes dynamic pricing, energy management and specific peak shaving strategies.

Highlights

Introduction and motivationWith the continuous increase of population and welfare across the globe, ports become increasingly important for the trade and supply of goods and support a continuous worldwide demand for fresh food, throughout all seasons of the year
Previous research shows a focus on technical improvements of reefers and its control systems, but no systematic study of the underlying causes of
In this paper we investigate the root cause factors of high peak energy consumption of reefers in terminals

Summary

Introduction

With the continuous increase of population and welfare across the globe, ports become increasingly important for the trade and supply of goods and support a continuous worldwide demand for fresh food, throughout all seasons of the year. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 2015) reports a refrigerated cargo share of the total dry cargo of 1.5% for the years 2000 to 2015, with an annual growth rate of 45%. The proportion of reefers in total conditioned shipping transport increased from 47% in 1990 to 75% in 2014; it is expected that in the coming 5 to 10 years global growth of the reefer market will be around 8% per year (Rodrigue and Notteboom 2014)

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