Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) increases efforts to improve the city’s air quality, the company said in its press release.
Container transporters powered by lithium-ion batteries will move the containers at HHLA Container Terminal Alternwerder (CTA) between ships and the yard in future. The use of green energy prevents any CO2, nitric oxide or particulate matter from being emitted and the vehicles are also three times more efficient than their diesel-powered predecessors. Another benefit is that during their time at the charging station, the container transporters can contribute to the stabilisation of the grid by precisely extracting or feeding energy. The Ministry of Environment and Energy will provide funding worth approximately € 8 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for HHLA’s innovative energy transition project. Jens Kerstan, Hamburg’s Minister of Environment, presented HHLA’s Chairwoman of the Executive Board, Angela Titzrath, with the funding on Monday, 16 April 2018.
A lithium-ion battery-powered automatic container transporter (automated guided vehicle, or AGV) prototype has been in operation at the CTA since autumn 2016 and was successfully tested together with an electric charging station. Thanks to a fully automated loading arm, the AGV will be supplied with the green energy used at the CTA. Six of these charging stations have already been installed at Altenwerder. Over the coming weeks, 25 lithium-ion battery-powered AGVs will go into operation at the CTA. By the end of 2022, the fleet of almost 100 AGVs will be completely switched over to lithium-ion battery drive and a total of 18 charging stations will be installed. This will result in an annual reduction in emissions of approximately 15,500 tonnes of CO2 and around 118 tonnes of nitrogen oxide.
From an economic point of view, the ratio of energy consumed to actual power output for lithium-ion battery-powered AGVs is three times higher than that of diesel AGVs. Further advantages of the batteries include the charging time, which is just one and a half hours, and their high durability. And they weigh less than lead batteries, bringing the weight down from twelve to four tonnes. Lithium-ion batteries also do not require any upkeep, unlike lead acid batteries. This reduces costs and down times resulting from maintenance work.
The ERDF in Hamburg
The project at the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder is supported by the Ministry of Environment and Energy using funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the “Energy Transition in Companies” research project. The ERDF will provide Hamburg with approximately € 55 million between 2014 and 2020 to increase investment in growth and employment. The Ministry has earmarked approximately € 24 million to support projects in Hamburg that focus not only on increasing energy efficiency, but also on the flexible, energy market-driven operation of technical facilities. Companies that invest in using waste heat for heating networks outside their own company boundaries will also receive support. The amount of funds that can be expected is based on the reduction of CO2 emissions that the project is forecast to bring about.