Solar power as an option for decarbonising terminals

Expectation

Continued decarbonisation of energy supplies is expected over the next 20 years. By 2035 renewable energy is predicted to account for 50% of the global energy mix, a four-fold increase in capacity when compared to current supplies.

At the same time as we make significant improvements in the efficiency and capacity of renewable energy technologies, global efforts to tackle climate change have been rejuvenated and redoubled by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The Paris Agreement is a global commitment to limit carbon emissions to prevent global warming of more than two degrees compared to pre-industrial level and to eventually move the world to a state of net zero carbon emissions.

The Paris Agreement was designed to be non-binding to allow nations to tailor their climate plans to suit their domestic situations. Without strict enforcement, the Paris Agreement will rely on diplomacy, collaboration and peer-pressure to meet its goals. Many global businesses are making bold public commitments to reduce their carbon footprints in support of the Paris Agreement.

For terminals, ports and inland service businesses there are many opportunities to support the Paris Agreement and make it a success. The installation of solar panels within our facilities is one of the tools available to us.

Renewable energy

Energy consumption is at the heart of our operations, it drives the equipment that keeps the global supply chains moving. As the world grapples with the challenge of combatting climate change and promoting sustainable economic growth, we are seeing the progressive electrification of container handling equipment (CHE). This move brings about new challenges and opportunities.

The APM Terminals Maasvlakte II facility in The Netherlands is powered completely by renewable energy supplies. In a country like The Netherlands which has promoted and been an early adopter of renewable energy, this is the most efficient way to reduce CO₂ emissions. But in many locations such supplies are not available or cannot be guaranteed.

In many locations around the world we need to be mindful of the carbon intensity of the grid energy we use to power electrified equipment. For example, in Costa Rica, each kWh of energy consumed is associated with 69 grammes of CO₂ emission. This is because of the high proportion of renewables in the Costa Rican energy mix. If we compare that same kWh of energy produced in Oman, there is an associated emission of 573 grammes of CO₂ because of the use of more conventional energy sources. The other issue we need to consider is the ability of local electricity networks to deal with changing and increasing electricity demand profiles.

Electrification of CHE drives reductions in Scope 1 (direct) emissions, but can drives up Scope 2 (indirect) emissions. Onsite solar power generation provides an opportunity to reduce Scope 2 emissions, particularly in countries with carbon-intensive grid electricity. Onsite solar power generation also provides an opportunity to reduce peak load demands within local electricity networks which makes them less susceptible to outages.

Solar potential

Ports and container terminals can be vast concrete expanses and yet the space available for solar panel installation is relatively small. In more traditional solar power projects, panels would be installed on the roofs of office buildings, workshops, and car ports. For a large terminal, this could be somewhere in the region of 8,000 m² of available roof space.

In Rotterdam, The Netherlands this area could generate up to 1.8 GWh electricity per year, or as much as 3 GWh electricity per year in Salalah, Oman. That is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 450 or 750 UK homes respectively. That amount of onsite solar power generation could also reduce annual CO₂ emission by 800 and 1,700 tonnes for a site in Rotterdam (for supplies not guaranteed from a renewable source) or Salalah respectively.

Given the potential for onsite solar power generation to reduce energy costs and reduce CO₂ emissions, APM Terminals is looking at less conventional locations to install solar panels.

At APM Terminals Mumbai, India, solar panels supplied by Enerparc, have been installed on the roofs of the machine houses of Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes. To do this some significant technical challenges have had to be overcome, not least the issue of constant vibrations and uneven heating which can cause cracks within the crystalline structure of traditional solar panels.

To manage this risk, an innovative and more robust CIS panel technology has been used. Starting with a single STS, the trial saw 170m² of solar panels installed on top of an STS crane. The system was tested for over 12 months. The CIS technology coupled with vibration dampening successfully protected the solar panels from damage and there were no system failures during the trial.

The results from the trial showed that annual electricity generation of around 23MWh is possible from a single STS (16MWh annually in Rotterdam, or 25MWh annually in Salalah). Given the success, the scheme is to be expanded to 10 STS cranes. Providing capacity to generate 230MWh of electricity annually and to reduce CO₂ emissions by 190 tonnes per year.

Across a global portfolio of operations there are significant cumulative reduction opportunities for this type of small-scale system, now that an engineering solution to vibration and uneven heating damage have been proven successful.

Floating panels

Another solar power generation option being investigated is for floating solar panels. The idea of using floating solar has been around for about a decade, but in 2016 and 2017 there were two significant steps forward in the deployment of this technology commercially.

In 2016 Thames Water, a private water utility in the UK installed 23,000 solar panels covering 57,000 m² on the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir. The panels will generate enough power for Thames Water to run their local Water Treatment Works. As the installation covers <10% of the surface area of the reservoir, no negative impacts to the local ecosystem are predicted.

The efficiency of the panels is also increased by the cooling effect of the water, which reduces losses from heat-induced electrical resistance. Building on this success, less than two months ago north-west of Huainan city, China a huge 166,000 panel array capable of generating 40MW was switched on.

APM Terminals has a number of sites that due to their design offer opportunities for the deployment of floating solar panels. Feasibility studies are ongoing for the trial deployment of such systems on large tidal lagoons. Due to the tidal regime, these deployments will need to overcome some significant challenges associated with daily tidal ranges averaging two metres and exceeding four metres on spring tides. If successful, this trial will open up another range of locations where solar panels can be deployed within ports and terminals.

Effective deployment

Onsite solar power generation offers ports and terminals significant opportunities to reduce energy costs and CO₂ emissions. What is clear is that to maximise the benefit of these technologies, we need to be smart in how we deploy them.

For APM Terminals that means taking a global approach to assessing feasibility. Right now we are using globally available datasets and our sustainability data to identify the best locations for solar power generation. The best locations are those that receive enough solar radiation and have enough available space to counter-balance site-specific electricity demand profiles and local electricity grid conditions. This approach will guarantee the best return on investment.

As solar power generating technologies become more efficient, the number of locations within APM Terminals where they can be successfully deployed increases. Whilst onsite solar power generation is an important tool in the global decarbonisation drive, it is not a silver bullet. Further developments are needed in battery and charging technologies and within national electricity grids to cope with the predicted increases in renewable electricity demand and supply.

Until that time, APM Terminals will continue to look for suitable opportunities to decarbonise and optimise its global energy footprint.