The ENEPORTS project tackles the crucial challenge of transitioning Atlantic Ports into digitalized green energy hubs. It focuses on enhancing energy management through digital tools and fostering ecological innovation. By setting up three pilot projects in Spain’s Port of Ferrol, Port of Granadilla, and Portugal’s Port of Leixões, ENEPORTS aims to align these ports with European energy efficiency standards.
With support from the Interreg Atlantic Area, the project overcome regulatory and logistical challenges, evolving into a collaborative venture that includes stakeholders from diverse sectors such as ITG Technological Center, technology companies, and regional authorities. Spanning multiple countries, the ENEPORTS initiative orchestrates an expansive narrative of sustainable reinvention in the Atlantic region.
Results of the Project
The project created methodological approaches to develop testing areas for innovative renewable energy projects in port areas in Spain, Ireland, Portugal and France, assessing both the legal and power system requirements. This includes suggestions for developing regulations towards a clearer system for the development of renewable energy projects. Besides, impacts of installing these projects on port areas were assessed and compiled, and mitigation measures proposed.
A methodological tool was also created that allows Port Authorities to analyze their decarbonization efforts, measuring them in terms of sustainability, energy transition and other aspects included within the EU Green Deal, Fit for 55 Package and Fuel EU Maritime, agreements and regulations, and allowing a benchmark with other international ports.
Benefits of port energy ecosystems are being promoted throughout the length of the project towards the institutions involved. Plans of the Port Authorities in the project include the installation of over 70 MW of renewable energy for 2030. Demonstrators have been installed, in the three participating port areas. The service of providing green energy to ships will be available for part of the served fleet. This will continue the decarbonization of port activities after the finalisation of the project, covering from 30% to 100%, depending on demand scenarios.
Innovative Solutions
A Platform for smart energy management has been developed. The platform can manage all potential energy assets that Atlantic Port areas can hold and are within their plans, such as renewable hydrogen, OPS systems, reefers containers, port concessionaires, PV and wind power production (both onshore -including rooftop PV systems- and different offshore types), wave and tides energy harvesters, or multisource devices. The Platform holds the highest cybersecurity measures, captures energy measures on all current devices on port areas, and organizes their energy agenda for each hour considering meteorological prediction. For this, it includes digital twins and models developed for each of the technologies and prediction algorithms. It also allows Atlantic Ports to simulate different operational scenarios and configurations.
Moreover, ENEPORTS capitalizes on the Green River project: by using the information from the multisource device developed in the framework of the project to design a methodology for studying technical feasibility of multisource devices in Port areas and learn about its usability and control capabilities.
Last but not least, ENEPORTS will use a renewable hydrogen fueled combustion engine: to evaluate the feasibility of hydrogen powered OPS systems by comparing Pilot results from ENEPORTS and results from other projects using hydrogen fuel cells powering OPS systems.
General Information:
- Project name: ENEPORTS – Decarbonization and Digitalisation of Atlantic ports
Project acronym: ENEPORTS
Funding Programme: Interreg Atlantic Area
Overall Budget: 2 840 000 €
EU Contribution: 75% (2 130 000 €)
Duration: 06.11.2023 — 05.11.2026
Lead Partner: Fundación Instituto Tecnológico de Galicia (Galicia, ES)
Project location: Portugal and Spain
Entities involved: BUILDERS École d'Ingénieurs (Basse-Normandie, FR); Autoridad Portuaria de Tenerife (Canarias, ES); National University of Ireland, Galway (Northern and Western, IE); Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables, S.A. (Canarias, ES); Autoridad Portuaria de Ferrol - San Cibrao (Galicia, ES); APDL - Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo, S.A. (Norte, PT) and Port of Galway (Northern and Western, IE)
Channels to know more about the project:
Website https://eneports.eu/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/eneports-interreg-atlantic-area-/