Net energy savings in Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes equipped with an active front end

The continuous increase in the energy consumption of container terminals could be tackled by equipping Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes with an Active Front End (AFE). To assess whether an AFE could offer benefits to a terminal, simulations have been performed using data recorded at the Port of Felixstowe (UK). A MATLAB/Simulink model of an RTG crane has been modified by adding an AFE, which has been developed in order to regenerate into the network the energy recovered from lowering containers. Results show that the addition of an AFE could reduce by 47 percent the net energy consumption of an RTG crane, resulting in significant energy savings for a container terminal.