Graduate research
Battery Electric Barges and Inland Port Research
Andrew’s graduate research at the College of Charleston developed a transferable framework for battery-electric and hybrid maritime operations using the Port of Memphis as a detailed inland-port case study. The work evaluated vessel propulsion, plug-and-play battery barges, onboard and shoreside BESS, port charging, utility infrastructure and fleet transition across multiple deployment scales. A 20-year benefit-cost model connected operator economics and infrastructure investment with grid emissions, air quality, public health and environmental justice. Although the research did not represent a commissioned port deployment, it provides a practical foundation for ports, vessel operators, utilities, developers and public agencies evaluating maritime electrification in inland, coastal and global markets.
System Overview
- Grid & renewables
- Port microgrid
- Shore BESS & charging
- Battery barge / container
- Electric / hybrid vessel
↶ Return to shore: charge · reuse · potential grid support
The work in detail.
Battery Electric Barges and Inland Port Research
A complete ships-to-ports system
The research evaluated diesel baseline operations, hybrid and fully battery-electric propulsion, towboats and inland vessels, plug-and-play and swappable battery barges, containerized marine batteries, and onboard and shoreside BESS. It linked port charging and shore power with utility interconnection, grid capacity, port microgrids, renewable generation, charging schedules and vessel duty cycles.
Keeping vessels moving
Standardized battery barges or containerized systems can separate charging time from vessel operations. A depleted unit can be exchanged or repositioned while another charges ashore, reducing vessel downtime and allowing vessels, batteries and charging equipment to follow different ownership and financing structures.
Commercial pathways
Operators could purchase propulsion as a service; ports could host shared charging and battery infrastructure; and investors could own batteries, chargers or microgrid assets under long-term service agreements. Utilities could manage large flexible loads. When not assigned to vessels, BESS could support port resilience, peak management and renewable integration. Public agencies could support shared infrastructure and community benefits without owning vessel operations.
Fleet scale and economic modeling
Andrew developed a 20-year benefit-cost framework aligned with U.S. Department of Transportation guidance, applying a 3% real discount rate. Scenarios compared diesel, hybrid and fully electric alternatives at 10-, 100- and 1,000-vessel scales under TVA grid-decarbonization pathways. The analysis considered fuel and electricity prices, battery replacement and useful life, capital investment and operating costs.
Operator economics and infrastructure investment
The fleet-operator boundary examines fuel-switch economics, operating savings and diesel-versus-electricity costs. The capital-inclusive boundary adds vessel conversion, batteries, charging infrastructure and replacement cycles. Separating these boundaries keeps operating savings distinct from complete investment returns and helps identify where public-private financing may be needed.
Modeled findings and community benefits
Under the modeled fuel and electricity assumptions, the research found consistent operating-cost advantages for electrification. Economic outcomes generally improved with deployment scale and declining grid-carbon intensity. Under progressive grid-decarbonization scenarios, avoided diesel emissions exceeded additional electricity-generation emissions. Analysis of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter connected climate and air-quality effects to estimated public-health benefits, with South Memphis conditions illustrating environmental-justice implications.
Applications across maritime markets
The framework provides a starting point for inland freight corridors, coastal and short-sea shipping, ferries, harbor craft, workboats and tugs. It is also relevant to island and remote communities, shipyards, vessel-conversion programs, and port authorities evaluating BESS, microgrids, shore power and grid upgrades. Local data and assessment are needed for each application.
Research context
Memphis was the research case and did not sponsor or commission the work. No vessels were purchased, financed or deployed through the thesis. Operating savings, NPV, benefit-cost ratios and societal benefits are modeled outcomes; public-health values represent estimated avoided damages rather than operator cash returns. Commercial outcomes depend on duty cycle, energy prices, battery costs, charging utilization, grid capacity and financing.