Charging stations key to sustainable development

The number of electric charging stations installed on the banks of the Yangtze River in Yichang, Hubei province, will be raised to provide safe facilities for docked vessels and help to reduce the pollution they cause while idle, the city’s port and shipping management bureau said.

Yichang, the second-largest city in Hubei and home to the Three Gorges Dam, is one of the most important ports on the lower and middle reaches of the river.

More than 60,000 passenger cruisers and freighters dock at the city’s ports every year. Many stay at their berths for as long as a week, consuming huge amounts of power while awaiting permission to pass through the dam’s system of locks.

Ye Yong, general manager of Yichang Transportation Changjiang Cruise Co, said a cruiser 87 meters long and 14.8 m wide can consume 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity every day while docked. The electricity was once produced by a generator, which used about 24 liters of diesel fuel per day. The method was noisy, costly and a pollution hazard.

“Diesel engines cause water and air pollution, while the noise they make disturbs crew members at night,” he said. “Crew members are also required to watch the generator to ensure it operates safely, which is a waste of money and manpower.

“In 2011, when we started using the electric charging stations on the riverbank, we saw costs fall dramatically. It’s also more convenient because we only have to scan a QR code at the station to pay for the electricity.”

In December, State Grid Corp put two recharging stations with QR code payment systems into use at the Sanxia Visitors Center in Yichang. Crew members simply have to scan the code to pay for the electricity via WeChat or Alipay.

The company plans to install more than 100,000 charging stations along the middle reaches of the Yangtze to provide power and improve safety, according to Tan Jing, from State Grid’s consumer service department.

“Some local residents set up their own charging stations by running power lines from their houses to illegal boxes built on the riverbank, which is extremely dangerous,” she said.

“The official charging stations with the QR codes are designed and installed to the highest safety standards, and offer ships’ crews an easy way to pay the bill,” she said, adding that a new standard is being developed to further improve safety.

Speaking at the 13th National People’s Congress in March, Zhang Jiasheng, Yichang’s mayor, said the provision of a regular power supply via the riverbank would be key to ensuring environmental sustainability because it would reduce the amount of pollution discharged into the river by ships at dock.