First “Floating Microgrid” Mooring Platform Enhances Resilience at New Bedford Harbor
New Bedford, MA – PowerDocks, LLC announced today the successful demonstration of its Blue Isles™ Floating Microgrid Mooring Platform in partnership with the New Bedford Ocean Cluster, ImpactLABS and the Port of New Bedford Harbor Development Commission (HDC). This platform is the first of its kind, showcasing the ability to provide: electric power for vessels, primary/auxiliary/backup power for the city, multiple wireless networks, sustainable energy for the city in case of a natural disaster, electrical power for vessels moored off its platform, real-time remote monitoring of the harbor’s environmental conditions and remote video surveillance monitoring.
When several platforms (among the port’s 300 moorings) are combined, over 1 MWh of stored energy can be offered to the City of New Bedford during a power outage or natural disaster.
In partnering with a local IoT accelerator, ImpactLABS, PowerDocks has instrumented its Blue Isles™ Microgrid Mooring Platform with a Portable Edge Computing Unit (PECU) from V5 Systems (Intel-powered Dell gateways) and a 360Fly camera. PowerDocks will also be adding Analog Devices Inc.’s nano-climate monitoring stations and In-Situ water quality sensors to their platform in the near future. Collectively, they will demonstrate versatile capabilities for the HDC. All of these will be integrated on a PTC ThingWORX IoT service creation and application development environment.
PowerDocks’ Managing Principal, Anthony Baro, stated, “ImpactLABS gives Blue Isles™ Mooring the ability to integrate Internet of Things (IoT) systems for real-time remote monitoring of water quality sensors and cameras within a single platform”.
He continued, “Together, we demonstrated the ability to facilitate the extended stay of boaters visiting the Port of New Bedford with a unique way to provide them in-water electrical power and access to WiFi. Boaters can leave their vessels charging while exploring the revitalized downtown area of New Bedford and discovering what the city has to offer”.
Chris Rezendes, Managing Director of ImpactLABS, says, “PowerDocks’ Blue Isles™ is a perfect example of what needs done to enhance the resilience of coastal operations all over the world: resilience in sustainable energy, connectivity and real time conditions monitoring. New Bedford’s HDC is focused on ensuring that the Port of New Bedford offers all of its stakeholder groups a compliant, safe and productive environment. We are proud to demonstrate this capability.”
The City of New Bedford has a strong commitment to the development of sustainable infrastructure that helps preserve the quality of its inner port waters. “With the introduction of this floating microgrid, we are continuing our commitment to embrace new and environmentally friendly innovation in our harbor,” said Ed Anthes-Washburn, the HDC’s Executive Director, “We will continue to bring the best in innovative, ocean-related infrastructure to ensure our harbor continues to prosper.”
PowerDocks, LLC (www.power-docks.com) develops Marine Autonomous Powered Docking Platforms (MAPDs) that are capable of delivering onsite critical power and enhanced operational capabilities to a broad range of customer applications, including: Yachting, Defense, Oceanographic, Aquaculture and Offshore Commercial industries worldwide. ImpactLABS (www.iotimpactlabs.com) helps small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) instrument the physical world with intelligence and intention for profit and resilience. We pursue this mission through a multi-stakeholder model that brings together: SMBs, physical world subject matter experts (SMEs), early stage Internet of Things (IoT) companies and visionary Fortune 5000 technology and industrial businesses.
For more information on PowerDocks, please contact Anthony Baro at abaro@power-dock.com or call 401-489-2273. For more information on Impact LABS, please contact Chris Rezendes at cjr@iotimpactlabs.com or call 508-415-5022. For more information on the City of New Bedford HDC, please contact Edward Anthes-Washburn at Edward.Anthes-Washburn@newbedford-ma.gov or call 508-961-3000.
Original Article Here:
https://pbn.com/first-floating-microgrid-mooring-platform-enhances-resilience-at-new-bedford-harbor-with-power-at-moorings-multiple-wireless-networks-persistent-environmental-monitoring-and-360-2/
