Improving the health, quality of life, and local economy of California’s most burdened communities is a critical element of the project. Pasha’s terminal is adjacent to Wilmington, a community recognized by the state as disproportionately impacted by industrial pollution.

With the goal of making the Pasha terminal a more sustainable and resilient facility that can operate independently off the grid in the event of a power loss, the project also features a microgrid that includes solar generation, battery storage and an energy management system to maximize usage. The 40-acre terminal handles general, project and heavy-lift cargoes of all shapes and sizes, including break bulk commodities such as steel and containerized cargo, making it an ideal laboratory for developing zero-emission solutions for many industries.

Project implementation will start in June with the final design and construction of the solar-powered microgrid. Components include a 1.03 megawatt photovoltaic rooftop array, a 2.6 megawatt-hour battery storage system, bi-directional charging equipment that can receive as well as supply power, and an energy management control system.

The project’s developmental fleet of zero-emission cargo handling equipment includes four electrified yard tractors, two high-tonnage forklifts, two drayage trucks and a top handler. Additionally, two wharf cranes will be upgraded with new electrical drives and control systems, and the project will demonstrate ShoreCat, the next generation of the METS-1 (Marine Exhaust Treatment System) for capturing at-berth vessel emissions without plugging into shore power. METS-1, which was piloted at the Port of Los Angeles, is one of only two existing ARB-approved alternatives to shore power.

The comprehensive strategy is expected to reduce more than 3,200 tons per year of greenhouse gases and nearly 28 tons annually of diesel particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and other harmful emissions from operations at the nation’s busiest container port. The clean air gains equate to taking 14,100 cars a day off the road in the South Coast Air Basin.

In addition to integrating zero-emission vehicles and cargo-handling equipment into the full scope of terminal operations, the project’s goals are to reduce emissions at berth from non-regulated ships, accelerate the development of commercially viable zero and near-zero emission equipment and solutions.

The competitive grant, the first of its kind for a multi-source facility demonstration project available through the ARB, required matching funds of at least 25%. Pasha, the Port and other partners exceeded that threshold with a 44% funding match.

The total cost of the project is $26.6 million. In addition to serving as the demonstration site, Pasha has committed $11.4 million in cash and in-kind participation.

Of the eight projects vying for nearly $24 million in state grants to reduce greenhouse gases and pollutants from facilities with multiple emissions sources, the Green Omni Terminal Demonstration Project captured more than 60% of the total available funding. The project is part of the California Climate Investments, which use proceeds from the state’s cap-and-trade auctions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while providing a variety of additional benefits to California communities.

A hallmark of the project is collaboration with green-tech original equipment manufacturers and technical experts from the private sector, academia and regulatory agencies.

The project’s engineering and manufacturing partners include:

• the engineering firm of Burns & McDonnell, which will provide engineering, construction and administration of the grant;

• BYD Auto, which will provide two electric yard tractors and a battery storage system;

• TransPower, which will provide two electric yard tractors, two electric heavy-duty forklifts, one electric top handler retrofit, and two electric drayage trucks;

• Clean Air Engineering Maritime, which will provide an at-berth vessel emission control system; and

• PermaCity (solar energy installation).

Other partners include the Coalition for Clean Air acting as the project’s community advisor; and technical experts from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, and the University of California, Riverside’s College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology.

Labor is also a crucial partner; the project incorporates training of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union workers who will operate and repair the equipment.

Project plans call for phasing in the new infrastructure and technology by the end of 2016, with zero and near-zero emission equipment subject to the same rigorous duty cycles of conventional cargo handling equipment. Data collection and analysis to track energy efficiency improvements and cost savings will take place over the subsequent two years.

The genesis for the project was the Port and Pasha’s commitment to ensuring Southern California could supply energy and basic goods to the community and serve as a base of operations for the military in the event of a natural or mandate disaster, while simultaneously meeting these critical infrastructure needs with renewably powered zero emission technologies. The commercial component followed.

North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $270 billion in trade during 2015. Port operations and commerce facilitate more than 133,000 jobs (about one in 14) in the City of Los Angeles and 479,000 jobs (or one in 18) in the five-county Southern California region. The San Pedro Bay Ports support nearly 1 million California jobs and 2.8 million nationwide.