The Technological and Renewable Energy Institute (ITER), an entity dependent on the Cabildo of Tenerife, participates in a European project aimed at showing the essential role of digitalization in the decarbonization of ports and in the efficient consumption and generation of green energy.
The project, called ENEPORTS, which will be launched in November of this year and will last three years, has a budget of more than 2.8 million euros and is co-financed by the transnational cooperation program of the European Union Atlantic Area 2021-2027.
Along with ITER, the Port Authorities of Tenerife, Ferrol (Galicia), Leixões (Portugal) and Galway (Ireland), the University of Galway, the Builders École d’Ingénieurs, and the Technological Institute of Galicia (ITG) participate. leads the project.
One of the main actions planned in the project will be the implementation of three pilot projects in the ports of Granadilla (Tenerife), Ferrol (Galicia) and Leixões (Oporto), which will serve as test beds for both terrestrial and marine renewable energy technologies. .
Thus, ENEPORTS will include the deployment in these ports of hydrogen storage or production systems, as well as electrical power for maritime and land transport, and the green energy available from different technologies will be increased. In total, the three ports plan to install more than 70 megawatts by 2030.
One of the challenges of this deployment is the efficient management of energy flows generated by renewable sources and the integration of the hybridization of technologies safely, maintaining the quality of energy supply necessary in ports. In this sense, the three ENEPORTS demonstration pilots will allow us to examine how digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) can contribute to this efficient management.
Pilot experiences of digitalization and green energy generation in ports
In the ports of Granadilla (Tenerife), Ferrol (Galicia) and Leixões (Porto) three pilot projects will be implemented that will be based on the development of intelligent platforms for energy monitoring and management. The deployment in these ports aims to practically demonstrate the viability of port renewable energy communities. These platforms will use advanced analysis tools, such as predictive algorithms, digital twins and machine learning, to efficiently control energy flows and internal energy market rules, while ensuring interoperability and cybersecurity.
In addition to the implementation of hydrogen storage and production technologies, ENEPORTS will study the feasibility of using, in a port area, an innovative multi-source device for the production of energy through the tension of mooring ropes, in combination with a hydraulic turbine and solar panels. The feasibility of an Onshore Power System (OPS) device for tugboats, based on a hydrogen-powered combustion generator, will also be tested and compared with other existing technologies.
The project will study the economic, environmental, social and technological impacts of the hybrid systems implemented, and will allow the creation of replicable methodologies for port authorities, in order to involve industries and administrations, and increase awareness of the benefits and social acceptance of the green ports.
ITER contributes its experience in renewable and hydrogen pilots and energy management and data monitoring.
ITER’s role in this European project will range from the study of the integration requirements of various energy sources and the power quality criteria in self-consumption systems, to the electrical simulation of the network for the identification of operating conditions. stable hybrid energy, combining generation and storage sources. In addition, ITER will be in charge of validating hydrogen technologies to integrate them into port energy supply systems (OPS).
In relation to the digitalization of these infrastructures, ITER will first carry out the installation and commissioning tasks of the network of monitoring equipment. Next, you will work on the development and deployment of an intelligent digital platform for the monitoring and energy control of infrastructures, and will finally be in charge of exploiting the data using artificial intelligence techniques to generate a decision-making tool in the operation of the energy system in the port area.
Additionally, the Institute will assume an active role in the capitalization and dissemination of the knowledge acquired during the development of the ENEPORTS project.
