Energy Storage for Renewable-Integrated Maritime and Transport Systems: A Review with Cross-Sector Perspectives on Smart Cities and Logistics Networks

This review examines energy-storage applications in renewable-integrated maritime and transport systems, with particular emphasis on ports and maritime infrastructures, complemented by a cross-sector perspective on relevant developments in smart-city energy systems and logistics networks. A structured literature search and screening procedure informed by selected elements of the PRISMA 2020 framework was employed to support transparent identification and organization of relevant literature. Smart-city and logistics evidence used for broader cross-sector interpretation is distinguished from the literature retained through the structured screening process and is not included in the quantitative thematic frequencies reported for the screened literature. The review comparatively examines battery energy storage systems, hydrogen-based storage, fuel cells, and hybrid configurations in relation to storage duration, operational flexibility, technological maturity, infrastructure requirements, efficiency considerations, and deployment barriers. The synthesis indicates that batteries are particularly suited to short-duration, high-response applications, whereas hydrogen-based pathways provide long-duration storage and sector-coupling capability at the expense of additional conversion stages and infrastructure requirements. Hybrid architectures therefore emerge as an important pathway for combining short-term flexibility with longer-duration energy autonomy. These findings are integrated into a cross-sector perspective linking renewable generation, storage, ports, maritime transport, logistics infrastructures, and urban-energy systems.