Green ports : towards energy efficiency and environmental sustainability
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Keywords
Green ports ; Port electrification ; System dynamics ; Energy transition ; Πράσινα λιμάνια ; Εξηλεκτρισμός λιμένων ; Δυναμική των συστημάτων ; Ενεργειακή μετάβασηAbstract
The transition of ports towards energy-efficient and low-emission operations has become a
strategic priority within international and European transport policy. Among the available
decarbonisation pathways in the green transition of ports, electrification has received
significant attention and considered as one of the rapidly expanding approaches.
Nevertheless, the implementation of this approach represents a complex transition process,
influenced by interactions between technological maturity, financial resources, infrastructure
readiness, regulatory requirements and operational conditions. Rather than examining port
electrification as a collection of individual technologies or static investment decisions, this
dissertation reconceptualises this transition as a dynamic system within the broader context
of “greening” of ports. By capturing the interactions between technological, economic,
infrastructural and regulatory factors over time, the proposed System Dynamics framework
supports port authorities and policymakers in evaluating alternative investment pathways,
identifying critical constraints and making more informed strategic decisions under conditions
of uncertainty.
Against this background, the dissertation aims to address the key research question of how
ports can evaluate and prioritise strategies for electrification and energy efficiency under
conditions of uncertainty, while facilitating their transition towards environmentally sustainable
operations. To address this central research question, the research investigates the
challenges and opportunities associated with port electrification, examines how investment
allocation and sequencing influence long-term transition pathways, explores how the
complexity and uncertainty of these interactions can be represented through a dynamic
modelling framework, and identifies the key factors shaping electrification strategies under
infrastructure constraints, investment dynamics and system interdependencies.
The research first establishes the problem context through a systematic review of the
literature, complemented by an extensive synthesis of international port practices and
documented implementation cases, highlighting the principal environmental challenges,
observed across ports worldwide. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the literature
with an extensive analysis of port case studies and good green practices internationally,
establishing an integrated evidence base on the implementation of green port measures
across different operational and geographical contexts. The enabling and constraining factors
implementing electrification measures are synthesised through a PESTLE analysis and
subsequently operationalised within a System Dynamics modelling framework, where they are
transformed into endogenous variables, causal feedback structures and stock-and-flow
relationships that capture the dynamic evolution of port electrification over time.
The developed model incorporates the principal electrification measures currently
implemented in ports, including Shore-Side Electricity (SSE-OPS), electrification of cargohandling
equipment, charging infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles and electricity grid
upgrades. An illustrative application for medium-sized European ports is developed to
investigate alternative investment strategies under different funding conditions,
implementation priorities and infrastructure constraints over a thirty-year planning horizon. The
model is further subjected to structural, behavioural and robustness tests, substantiating the
reliability of its internal consistency and its suitability as a strategic decision-support
framework. The analysis demonstrates that the effectiveness of port electrification depends
not only on the adoption of individual technologies but also on the dynamic interactions
between investment allocation, infrastructure deployment, electricity demand, grid capacity
and implementation sequencing. The findings identify electricity infrastructure readiness as a
critical factor influencing the pace of electrification, while also demonstrating that investment
timing and capital allocation decisions substantially affect long-term transition outcomes. The
results further indicate that electrification pathways are characterised by path dependency,
highlighting the importance of coordinated planning and timely infrastructure development.
Methodologically, the research establishes a transparent framework for integrating qualitative
evidence with quantitative System Dynamics modelling, enabling the representation of
feedback mechanisms, delays and resource constraints that are not adequately addressed by
existing analytical approaches. From a practical perspective, the proposed framework
provides a flexible decision-support tool capable of assisting port authorities and policymakers
in prioritising investments, assessing alternative transition pathways and supporting the longterm
planning of energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable ports.
Department
Σχολή Ναυτιλίας και Βιομηχανίας. Τμήμα Ναυτιλιακών ΣπουδώνNumber of pages
363Language
EnglishCollections
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Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα
Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα