Demand response in a container terminal

Abstract

Seaport operators are becoming more environmentally conscious and are looking to electrify their terminals to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This leads to higher energy-related costs and more congestion on the electricity grid. This thesis investigates the potential of demand response as a viable strategy to reduce energy-related costs. By modifying operational planning, energy consumption could be deferred from peak to off-peak hours, resulting in cost savings. Different potential ways within the terminal to provide demand response are identified. I propose a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming model to optimize operations planning, incorporating energy-related costs. Both energy demand and supply uncertainties are accounted for, exploring various scenarios for vessel arrival times and fluctuating electricity prices. The model is decomposed using a progressive hedging algorithm. Operational aspects considered in this model include vessel arrival scheduling, temperature control of refrigerated containers, allocation of handling capacity across quay cranes, yard cranes, and automated guided vehicles, as well as a charging schedule for the automated guided vehicles. A case study of the Altenwerder container terminal in Hamburg was conducted to test the model. Preliminary results suggest potential cost savings in the range of 12.0-13.2 % with a varying electricity prices based on wholesale market rates. Furthermore, it was found that stochastic modeling improved the solutions found of up to 20.6 % compared to a deterministic model. These findings underscore the substantial potential of demand response strategies in the context of container terminal operations