New Duisburg container terminal to be carbon-neutral
A new container terminal under development at the inland port of Duisburg is to install a hydrogen-based energy supply network that will be carbon-free and in operation by 2023.
Europe’s largest inland port, Duisburg, is to install mtu hydrogen technology developed by Rolls-Royce Power Systems to provide sustainable electricity and heat for the terminal. The facility is curently under construction on the former coal island, once a major bulk transhipment terminal.
The port authority will install a hydrogen heat and power generating station from mtu as well as fuel cells for electrical load peak coverage. The setup will include several advanced energy conversion and storage options, according to a Rolls-Royce statement.
The power company claimed that the Duisburg system could show what energy supply in the future may look like – decentralised and climate-friendly. When power supplied by the public grid reaches its limits, mtu’s hydrogen-powered fuel cells will kick in to meet peak energy requirements.
Meanwhile two combined heat and power plants with mtu hydrogen engines of the 4000 series will convert hydrogen energy to electricity available either for the terminal itself or the public grid. Waste heat will be used for heating buildings, and photovoltaic systems and batteries will be integrated into the system to handle peaks and troughs.
Port operator, Duisport, is working on the project with Westenergie Netzservice, Netze Duisburg, Stadtwerke Duisburg, Stadtwerke Duisburg Energiehandel, and the Fraunhofer Institute Umsicht. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is funding the project over four years as part of the Hydrogen Technology Offensive.
