Green Diamond Begins New Era

In the early 20th century, towboating made a significant energy transition from coal to diesel engines. Now the inland waterways transportation industry is exploring ways to transition away from carbon-emitting fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. The christening of Kirby’s plug-in hybrid mv. Green Diamond is a significant milestone in this journey.

It’s a journey that Kirby is undertaking together with all its suppliers and customers. More than just on-board technology is involved. The Green Diamond will work mostly in the Houston harbor and be time-chartered by Shell Trading Company. Shell New Energies U.S. LLC installed the Zinus charging system at Kirby’s dock, while Shell Energy Solutions, which provides retail energy in deregulated markets, will supply electricity to the charging station. Power to charge the Green Diamond’s battery system will be purchased through certified renewable energy certificates. Kirby officials say they expect the Green Diamond to run on battery power 80 percent of the time and achieve emissions reductions of between 88 and 95 percent.

It might be true to say that this inaugurates a new era of sustainable towboating. But this new era will not spring into being fully formed, nor can it be sped up by top-down fiats, as California’s experience with attempting to force-march the electric revolution in harbor craft is showing.

The transition from coal to diesel took decades. The complete transition to lower-emission and zero-emission power systems in the inland industry may or may not take as long. But we should always remember that even with older engines and equipment, water transportation still remains the greenest among the modes.