{"id":7894,"date":"2019-06-03T15:12:12","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T13:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartport.nl\/elektrificatie-impactverhaal-smartport\/"},"modified":"2021-03-22T19:42:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T18:42:21","slug":"elektrification-impactstory-smartport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartport.nl\/en\/elektrification-impactstory-smartport\/","title":{"rendered":"Elektrification – impactstory SmartPort"},"content":{"rendered":"

Developing a more sustainable port<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the series of impact stories from SmartPort; driver of port innovation <\/em><\/h3>\n

Acceleration
\n<\/b>A drastic reduction of CO<\/span>\u2082\u00a0<\/span>in the port of Rotterdam is needed. A major challenge for Europe’s largest petrochemical cluster. In order to reduce CO\u2082\u00a0<\/span>electrification technologies must be ready for commercial use by 2030 as a replacement for production based on gas, coal and oil. Large-scale electrification makes the Rotterdam port-industrial complex more sustainable and provides the necessary flexibility and stability in the new energy system. Check out the animation about Elektrification. <\/a><\/p>\n

Since 2016, SmartPort has been committed to boosting and broadening this innovation in collaboration with businesses and academia. \u201cThe information we have gathered from previous studies together with knowledge institutions and companies is very useful in the further steps that are now being taken. Electrification and the strength of the energy and chemical cluster in the port help to accelerate the energy transition. The SmartPort projects have not only contributed to getting the facts & figures on the table, but above all to creating more understanding and new ties between the participants\u201d, says Wilco van der Lans of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Circularity enhances electrification
\n<\/span><\/b>In 2016, the main question focused on forming the most effective scenarios to reduce CO<\/span>\u2082<\/span>. Commissioned by the Port of Rotterdam Authority and SmartPort, the Wuppertal Institute has delivered three scenarios that can achieve a 75-98% CO<\/span>\u2082<\/span> reduction in 2050. One of the conclusions was that electrification can make a significant contribution to making the Rotterdam Port Industrial complex more sustainable.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Companies in the port of Rotterdam produce the basis for products that we all use every day, such as bottles, clothing, fuel and electronics. Hydrogen and carbon are the main ingredients of these products, which are now produced from gas, coal and oil. To produce these products in a cleaner, climate-neutral way, a new method of production is needed. For example, hydrogen can be produced by electricity (electrification) and carbon can be captured from the air or from existing processes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rotterdam: the place for a clean, integrated chemical cluster
\n<\/span><\/b>In 2017, the consortium approached BP, Joulz, Uniper and the Port of Rotterdam Authority SmartPort with this question; What is the value case of green hydrogen production? SmartPort has commissioned this research – called Power-2-Gas-2-Refineries – at TNO. The study shows that installing a 20MW electrolyser can already save 30 ktonnes of CO<\/span>\u2082<\/span> per year. In comparison: a large refinery needs about 1GW of hydrogen, which means that upscaling green hydrogen production can potentially save a lot of CO<\/span>\u2082<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In the words of the consortium: “This project, in which green hydrogen is made by electrolysis of wind peaks, pushes the port of Rotterdam towards a sustainable future.” Following up on this value case and based on the ambition to scale up, BP & Nouryon signed the MOU in the spring of 2018 for the construction of a 250MW electrolyser.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Strong together
\n<\/strong>The electrification studies have led to a growing number of partners since 2017. In addition to structural cooperation with the Port of Rotterdam Authority, VoltaChem and the Deltalinqs Climate Program (DCP), individual companies are increasingly involved in these and other SmartPort projects. The power of collaboration was once again underlined during the Flexnet study. In collaboration with Huntsman, Nouryon, Air Liquide and Deltalinqs, TU Delft is investigating how Power-2-Heat technologies can be used for system integration[i]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Flexnet
\n<\/span><\/b>Because companies in the port of Rotterdam are strongly interconnected, the investment of one often affects the other. For the adoption of Power-2-Heat technologies, Flexnet is looking at how this can be tackled together. Collaborating companies in the chain can achieve collective benefits through mutual exchange of (raw) material flows, services and products. The innovation process can also be optimized if reasoning is based on the chain.<\/p>\n

\n

To further facilitate and stimulate this chain-oriented approach, SmartPort organized a session on synthetic fuels (e-fuels) in September 2018. This concerns, for example, renewable electricity and synthetic diesel produced by capturing CO<\/span><\/span>\u2082<\/span><\/span>. Together with VoltaChem, the Power-2-Fuels project was developed from this, in which the (future) producers of e-fuels and the users of these clean fuels jointly look at the necessary innovation in this area. \u201cBy working together with SmartPort, we can further develop generic solutions in the field of industrial electrification, together with companies and knowledge institutions from the region, specifically for application in the Port of Rotterdam,\u201d says Martijn de Graaff, program director at VoltaChem \/ TNO. \u201cAnd with it accelerating developments and implementation of new technologies and value chains that contribute to a CO<\/span><\/span>\u2082<\/span><\/span>-neutral port in 2050\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

From lab to the commercial plant
\n<\/span><\/b>Electrification techniques need to be scaled up to make them commercially attractive. This is a process of trial and error. This requires the necessary research to get from \u00a0lab, via a pilot and a demonstration project, to a commercial factory. The legislator must also learn how new techniques work: what emissions do new factories have and what are the safety contours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

At the request of DCMR, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Deltalinqs, SmartPort has set up the Governance Port Industrial Complex project, in which, by Erasmus University and TNO, it is being investigated how permits, supervision and enforcement can enhance their contribution to innovation within the energy transition. <\/span><\/span>SmartPort facilitates interaction with companies. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The Electrons-2-Chemicals (E2C) project has been set up together with VoltaChem for the upscaling of electrification technologies. Here, various international research institutions and companies are scaling up technologies and therefore applying them in increasingly large installations to convert sustainable energy CO<\/span>\u2082<\/span>into dimethylether (DME) and formic acid. These are both chemical building blocks and potential future sustainable fuels.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Infrastructure for new energy
\n<\/span><\/b><\/span>To be able to use these technologies, the right energy infrastructure is of course also required. By jointly offering insight into the electrification potential of the port of Rotterdam, insight is also created into the energy infrastructure required for this.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0\u201cThe port is used to supplying a constant flow of energy. But the supply of renewable energy – wind and solar – is not constant. System integration is required to absorb a growing share of renewable energy in the port. So that energy is always available to companies in the desired form, \u201dsays Ruud Melieste, strategist at the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Electrification can make a significant contribution to an almost climate neutral port industrial complex by 2050, but it is still undergoing development. SmartPort drives these developments from a technological, economic and policy perspective.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Wilt u als bedrijf weten hoe u aan kunt sluiten bij elektrificatie onderzoek? Neem dan contact op met SmartPort: office@smartport.nl<\/a> of bel 010-4020343<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Investeringen in onderzoek naar elektrificatie (2016-2018) <\/b><\/p>\n