Green Port and Ferry’s Electrification: a Case Study on Italian Lake Maggiore

Reducing emissions from ports is crucial to achieving climate targets. The integration of renewable energy sources and alternative propulsion methods holds immense potential for transforming ports into clean energy hubs. Inland ports manage smaller ship sizes and shorter inland journeys, making them particularly suited to adopt technologies for transport electrification and renewable power supply. This paper analyzes the benefit of integrating renewable energy sources into the port supply system of the north Italian Lake Maggiore. Different local and port-specific aspects have been considered in the analysis: port’s load characterization, local availability and site potential of renewable energy production, and the additional load introduced by an electrified ferry. Three use cases have been investigated as a transition from the existing port supply system to a green port configuration, with a rooftop photovoltaic power plant and an additional stationary storage system. A comprehensive technical and economic assessment has been conducted, taking into account the initial investments as well as the operational costs. Finally, a sensitivity analysis has been performed to investigate the influence of energy prices on economic performances.