Offsets: 90,000 metric tons carbon dioxide
Equivalent to taking 17,928 cars off the road for a year Project Type: Transportation Efficiency Project Lifetime: 15 years Contract Signing Date: September 2005 Location: Oregon and Washington Project Partner: Shorepower Technologies
Project Description
The Climate Trust has contracted to purchase offsets from a project that reduces truck diesel engine idling through truck stop electrification. Each night, thousands of truckers idle their diesel engines during government mandated rest periods to power heating, air conditioning, and appliances for their sleeper cabs. Unfortunately, engines running at idling speed also cause undue wear on machinery, emit harmful local and global air pollutants, and increase noise levels for drivers and neighboring communities.
Shorepower’s shore-power truck electrified parking (STEP) system is a low cost alternative to idling that provides drivers with grid-based electricity, cable television and Internet connections to enable drivers of long-haul heavy-duty trucks to shut down their engines and save fuel during mandated rest periods. Using the Shorepower technology is a significantly cheaper option than paying the soaring costs of diesel fuel to power an idling engine. The Climate Trust will pay Shorepower Technologies to electrify 275 parking spaces at 7 truck stops in Oregon and Washington.
How the project reduces CO2
When a trucker pulls into a truck stop for an 8-10 hour federally mandated rest stop, they will now have the option to plug into the Shorepower technology. By choosing the Shorepower technology the trucker has opted to use a more efficient energy source to power the heating/air conditioning and appliances in a sleeper cab. The electrical outlet is powered by the grid at a significantly more efficient rate than a single diesel engine running at idle speed.
The carbon dioxide offset is calculated by the difference in running an idle engine minus the emissions from the grid used to power the sleeper cab services.
Non-GHG Benefits
Reducing engine idling cleans the air for truckers and neighbors
Saves fossil fuel while saving truckers money
Truckers sleep better without noise of engines, making for safer roads
Noise pollution is reduced for neighboring communities
Additionality Criteria: Why We’re Involved
With The Climate Trust’s funding, Shorepower Technologies was able to overcome financial barriers that exist implementing a new technology. Also, the use of carbon offset funding helps keep the cost to truckers down, helping to overcome industry barriers to a new technology.
Offsets: 90,000 metric tons carbon dioxide 