Shore power

Shore power or shore supply is the provision of shoreside electrical power to a ship at berth while its main and auxiliary engines are shut down. While the term denotes <a href="/facts/Shore/yRlfT1Q6">shore</a> as opposed to <a href="/facts/Sea/7eo8zrRW">off-shore</a>, it is sometimes applied to aircraft or land-based vehicles (such as campers, heavy trucks with sleeping compartments and <a href="/facts/Sleeper_bus/7ja1SSPr">tour buses</a>), which may plug into <a href="/facts/Electrical_grid/RkWPqjmG">grid power</a> when parked for <a href="/facts/Idle_reduction/zVwKY4hD">idle reduction</a>. 
The source for land-based power may be grid power from an electric utility company, but also possibly an external remote generator. These generators may be powered by diesel or <a href="/facts/Renewable_energy/6Bu6IrpF">renewable energy</a> sources such as <a href="/facts/Wind_power/vlNN3u16">wind</a> or <a href="/facts/Solar_power/NpgmEbU2">solar</a>.
Shore power saves consumption of fuel that would otherwise be used to power vessels while in port, and eliminates the <a href="/facts/Air_pollution/zmk9Dy7S">air pollution</a> associated with consumption of that fuel. A port city may have <a href="/facts/Anti-idling/zVwKY4hD">anti-idling</a> laws that require ships to use shore power. Use of shore power may facilitate maintenance of the ship's engines and generators, and reduces noise.

The amount of power required can be relatively large, for example for visiting Cruise Ships to cold-iron, the port of Flåm in Norway fitted a system capable of supplying 16 <a href="/facts/Volt-ampere/6R2WrK7b">Megavolt-amperes</a> to a ship, the port of San-Diego is capable of suppying three ships at time at these power levels and additionally has a <a href="/facts/High-voltage_shore_connection/A419g49o">High-voltage shore connection</a>

Shore power open-in-new

Shore power