When a giant cruise ship comes to port, it generally leaves its engines running to provide energy for the on-board passengers. The problem is that this generates carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and particulate matter in massive amounts. For this reason, port authorities in Italian cities such as Venice are taking initiative by planning to install equipment that would allow ships to turn their engines off and connect to the electricity grid while berthed. According to an Italian electricity utility, this could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 30 percent, while reducing nitrogen oxides and particulates by more than 95 percent.
Although similar electricity-connecting systems are already in place in certain ports around the world, including Los Angeles, only a small portion of ships are actually equipped to connect to on-shore power systems. The next logical step seems to be updating or adapting a majority of ships so that plugging-in at port is a more universal practice.Â
[Via: The New York Times]
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