FEATURE | UK partnership to explore energy storage and transfer using electric vessels

The Electric Thames project, a collaboration between UK Power Networks, LCP Delta, and Marine Zero, is assessing the viability of using electric vessels to feed stored electricity back into London’s energy network.

Using a principle similar to night storage heaters, battery-powered vessels on the Thames could store green energy when it is inexpensive to do so, such as when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, and feed it back to the grid during peak electricity hours. The partnership believes the approach could help increase the capital’s flexible energy capacity and reduce peak electricity demand.

Initial steps

The project, which is in its initial “discovery” or scoping phase, supports the Port of London Authority’s transition to net zero emissions and London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s pathway for London to be Net Zero Carbon by 2030. The discovery phase of the project, which is funded via the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund, will conclude at the end of May 2024.

Thames vessel and quay operators will be surveyed over the coming weeks to identify and map out their needs. This will allow power suppliers to plan and complete any works needed to facilitate the move to cleaner vessel and river operations along the Thames.

Most of the boats, quaysides, and ports operating on the Thames – which supports a busy freight sector as well as eight million passenger trips per year – currently rely on fossil fuels. This is starting to change, however, as the river’s economy decarbonises in response to net zero ambitions.

Navigating to a new energy source

However, as increasing numbers of Thames vessel and quayside operators move to electric power sources, there is limited understanding about how the shift will affect the capital’s power network and peak power demands.

The Electric Thames project team will consult quay owners, vessel operators, and other stakeholders in order to understand the opportunities for investing in electrification and a sustainable route to revenue.

UK Power Networks said the outcomes of the project could shape a new whole-system planning framework for the nation’s rivers, canals, and waterways, offering insights for decarbonisation and electrification that could be replicated across the UK.

Electric Thames has been supported by the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), which is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.