White Papers

WP#1 Reduction of the CO2 Footprints of Container Terminals by Photovoltaics

This paper is focused on defining alternative on-site generation of electrical energy from renewable resources. Due to the ease of installation, the photovoltaic systems can be seen as one of the most accessible alternative. The focus is on four main questions: feasibility, how much energy can we produce, the amortization and costs and potential risks. In order to have a clear depiction of the locations where the PV could be installed, a model of an actual container terminal has been designed. As for the CO2 reduction a range has been set between 1010t in a pessimistic case and the maximal end of this range is 1428t. The initial investments and their amortization, the author has set the return on investment around 12.8 years without considering the maintenance factor. As a final conclusion, the author states that PV technology is suitable to a container terminal due to the ease of installation as well as its maintenance free policy. Link to Paper

WP#2 LED Technology for Container Terminal

In a fast moving world that has reduced exponentially its resources; the topic of renewable energy becomes one of the most controversial areas of research. This addresses mainly the wish of shifting conventional energy users towards renewable or alternative energy. The LED technology offers up to a factor of 5 better energy efficiency compared to conventional lights and it also makes sense from a short time span of ROI. LED, Light Emitting Diode is a technology which converts electricity into light but not through gas or wire heating, therefore increasing the efficiency of the process. Jacobs University was one of the first German universities to implement LED technology within its buildings. The big consumers of electricity are the high mast lamps. In order to determine a potential annual saving a configuration of a real container terminal had to be simulated in order to create a reference point. The calculations showed that with a fixed initial investment of 800.000 € the amortization could be done in maximum 12 years. Link to Paper

WP#3 Status Quo of Use of Hydrogen as Fuel in Port, Shipping and Transport Industry

The paper starts with a brief introduction of the current status of fuel usage within the container terminals. Most of the heavy-duty engines are powered by diesel fuel while vessels are in general run by HFO (heavy fuel oil). Because it is generally accepted that these means of powering the machines is damaging the environment, the research industry has started recently to focus on designing new alternative energy producers. The main advantages of hydrogen in energy production are its high energy density as well as its unlimited availability. After describing the advantages brought by this technology, the author also mentions that due to the highly flammable substances there is an imperious need of installing highly capable ventilation systems in order to eliminate a possible disaster. Link to Paper

WP#4 Combined Heat and Power Cogeneration for Container Terminals

This paper analyses the cogeneration also known as Combined Heat and Power (CHP). Cogeneration is mainly based on the first law of thermodynamics, namely the conservation of energy. Fuel cell cogeneration has also been assessed as a very efficient technology to convert fuel directly into electrical power through electrochemical processes. Because of no intermediate steps required for the fuel to be transformed in the final product, the fuel efficiency is enhanced with about 65% fuel to electric efficiency. Cogeneration technologies have been promoted up to this point mostly for large petrochemical, chemical or other sites that produce a high amount of heat during their daily activity. The cogeneration technology has also been implemented for container terminals, supplying electricity as well as the grid of the port. The environmental impact can be reduced with up to 40% as compared to a conventional energy producer. Due to the higher efficiency, reliability and fuel availability the gas turbines and the fuel cogeneration are now an attractive option for the container terminals. The electricity produced can be used by the terminal while the excess requirement can be supplied by the grid. Link to Paper

WP#5 Terminal Lighting by LED and LEP

Lightning is considered as one of the significant resources needed for a container terminal to operate. Due to the fierce competitions ports have started to seek methods of improving their consumption. The LED technology offers up to a factor of 5 better energy efficiency compared to conventional lights and it also makes sense from a short time span of ROI. LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a technology which converts electricity into light but not through gas or wire heating, therefore increasing the efficiency of the process. After a brief technical presentation of the LED concept the authors focus on the advantages and disadvantages of this technology according to each of the three areas of usage, mentioned above. LEP (Light emitting plasma) lamps are electrode-less lamps energized by radio frequency power. Typically these lamps use a noble gas or a mixture of these gases plus an addition of sodium, mercury or sulfur. The LED and LEP are very similar technologies the only difference being the fact that LEP has and order of magnitude higher lumen density. Therefore LEP has better performances in illuminating bigger areas. Link to Paper